The Mellette County pioneer. [volume] (Wood, Mellette County, S.D.) 19??-1971, 1922-04-28

unfortunately, not n single example re-
mains.
When these temples were taken pos
session of by the Christians, n church
was erected over this altar, part of
which was destroyed and then the
space leveled up with the earth so that
the church floor was above the top of
the altar; so, also, the lower part OF
the staircase was filed over, while h
upper part was removed to accomm
date the apses.
Attributed to Theodosius.
The construction Of this basilica Is
attributed TO TheOdosius, Roman en-
peror Of the East, who reigned towards
the end of the Fourth century Of our
era. The Great temple was demolished
to furnish materials for the cOnstruc-
ton Of this church.
The Great Temple itself has been al
most entirely destroyed. All that Is
left are six columns Of the peristyle,
still standing in their original places,
capped with Corinthian capitals and
Joined by ornate and massive entabla-
lure. iltst l'llS lAluio wv h'I ~
as they appear 10 do when seen from
below. They are over 60 feet high and
10 feet in diameter and are each COM
posed Of three drums.
, One can perhaps best mentally re-
construct the Great Temple by an In
spection Of the smaller one, dedicated
to Bacchus, which lies to the south
east Of the Great Temple, entirely In
dependent Of it and on a lower level.
The walls Of the main enclosure or
celia. which is oblong, are quite plain
on the outside and are built OF care
fully dressed stone, the Joints so per
feet that a knife-blade cannot enter
between. Around this at a distance OF
10 feet runs on the two sides and ends
a row Of smooth columns which forms
the peristyle.
These, including their capitals, are
about SO feet high and are surmounted
by a magnificent e%ntablature. This en-
tablature is connected with The walls OF
the celia by enormous slabs of stone,
which are deliberately carved with the
heads Of emperors, deities, and inter
woven with floral designs, forming an
exquisite ceiling.
TIE door posts are elegantly carved
with figures Of Bacchus, fauns, cupids,
satyrs and bacchantes, woven around
which are grape vines and clusters or
fruit, also poppies and ears OF wheat,
all Of which are symboIicai Of the
attributes OF the reveling god to whom
the temple is dedicated.
Great Doorway 43 Feet High.
This great doorway, which dwarfs
the human figure, stands 4S feet high
and PIN feet wide, while the carving
of the posts just mentioned covers q
| space about 6 feet wide. On both
| sizes of this door stand graceful fiuted
columns, forming the prostyle or por-
tico, while the plain ones OF the peri
style, which stand behind them, seem
to reflect their beauty.
The decorations of the walls OF the
interior of this temple resemble the
carvings of the exedrae of the great
court, having two rows of inches for
statues one above the other and di-
waco perpSnulCularly iIoui edeii UNIV
by engaged huted columns.
AS already mentioned, these EN-
pies stood on a raised platform rest
ing on substructures. The great tenn
pie lies 44k feet above the level of
the plain and is the highest part OF
the entire Enclosure, while the great
court was only 23 feet lower.
An inclosing wall, the mammoth
| stones of which have been the marvel
| OF engineers for ages, deserves mention.
| The lowest courses are built of stones
Of moderate dimensions, but which
| grow rapidly in size until we come to
q row of three enormous stones, the
| shortest being 63 feet and the longest
IS in length, and each being about
Is feet high and I'D feet thick.
| The course of which they form part
Is some 20 feet above the surface OF the
ground.
They are the largest building blocks
ever known to have been used by man;
and a still larger n lies in the an
cient nearby quarry, never having been
detached from the rock beneath. The
one Is 20 feet long by il by Is feet