Rocky Ford enterprise., 1913-05-09

for the Berlin museums now possess many of the
finest examples of the carvings found there.
Baalbek is the name of a ruined city of ancient
CoelaSyria, signifying the city of Baal.' the
god The name converted by the Greeks,
during the Seleucidan dynasty, into its Greek
equivalent. Heliopolis. 1t is situated in latitude
34 degrees minute north, longitude J6 degrees,
II minutes east. in the plain of Buka's. at the
northern extremity Of low range of bleak hills.
about one mile from the base of Antilibanon in
well watered and delightful locality. little
more than 40 miles northwest of Damascus. 1t
was once the most magnificent of Syrian cities,
full of palaces. fountains and beautiful monu-
ments
These ruins are known as the Acropolis and are
unique for their massiveness and for the great
amount of both bold and delicate carving with
which they adorned. There is, indeed.
much carving and such variety to make ones
first visit bewildering. The temples being built
a fiat plain, 1t important to raise them
above the surrounding level to render them more
imposing and to that end there vast sub
structures and vaults and passages supporting
the shrines. The most imposing was that of the
great Temple of the Sun, which rectangu
lar building 290 feet by 160. hayng its roof sup
ported by peristyle of "a Corinthian columns,
10 at each side and 10 at each end. OF these
six are stin standing. The circumference of
these columns is about % feet and the length
of the shaft about 5S feet; with pedestal, capital
and entablature they measure about so feet in
height The great Temple of the Sun occupied
platform the Acropolis about 1000 feet by $50
feet. The main entrance of the temple was on
the east Here wide flight of steps led up to
portico 10 feet above the gardens and orchards
that surround the ruins. An inscription
the great portico states that the temple was
erected to the Great Gods" of Heliopolis by
Antoninus.
Beyond the portico is hexogonal court
through which large gateway opens into the
great square. at the west end of which is the
temple a lofty stylobate Except the columns
mentioned, little of the great temple or of the
buildings in front Of it is left standing, but the
ground is covered with their ruins. The vast size
OF the stones used in the substructures of the
great platform is remarkable. some of them being
go feet long and 10 feet thick.
South from the great temple is smaller one
known the Temple of Jupiter. 1t is smaller
In FORM having Its peristyle and the walls of its
cells still mostly standing Its dimensions are
227 feet in length by III feet in breadth, with
15 columns at the sides and at each end. Both
temples well the surrounding structures
built of limestone, in a richly decorated,
somewhat fantastic Corinthian style. Besides
these there stands at distance of 300 yards from
the others circular building supported six
granite columns built in mixed Ionic and Corin-
THAN style.
Nearby also the remains of the Temple of
Bacchus, famed for its magnificent carvings.
Here are enormous slabs of stone elaborately
carved with the heads of emperors and deties
and interviewer with floral designs the whole
forming a unique ceiling. The portal is the gem
Of the Iatire ediice. The door posts are beauti-