Page:Dictionary of Greek and Roman Geography Volume II.djvu/35

 JERUSALEM. III. WAM.S. JERUSALEM. 19 1. Upper City and Old W(dl. — " Of the three walls, the old one was difficult to be taken, both on account of the ravines, and of the eminence above them on which it was situated. But, in addition to the advantai;e of the position, it was also stron^rly built, as David and Solomon, and the kings after them, were very zealous about the work. Beginning towards the north, from the tower called llijipicus, and passing through the place called Xystus, then joining the council ciiamber, it was united to the western cloister of the Temple. In the other di- rection, towards the west, conmiencing from the same place, and extending through a place called Bethso to the gate of the Essenes, and then turning towards the south above the fountain Siloani, thence again bending toward the cast to the Pool of Solomon, and running through a place which they called Uphla, it was joined to the eastern cloister of the Temple." To undei-stand this description, it is only necessary to remark, that the walls are described, not by the direction in which they run, but by the quarter which tiiey face; i. e. the wall " turning towards the .south " is the south wall, and so with the others; so that the Hippie Tower evidently lay at the NV. angle of the Upper City; and, as the position of this tower is of the first importance in the description of the city walls, it is a fortunate circumstance that we are able to fix its exact site. ( 1 ) The Hippie Tower is mentioned in connection with two neighbouring towers on the same north wall, all built by Herod the Great, and connected with his splendid palace that occupied the north- west angle of the Upper City. '" These towers," says the historian, " surpissed all in the world in extent, beauty, and strength, and were dedicated to the memory of his brother, his friend, and his best loved wife. " The IJippicus, named from his friend, was a square of 25 cubits, and thirty high, entirely solid. Above the [lart which was solid, and constructed with massive stones, was a i-eservoir for the rain-water, 20 cubits in depth; and above this a house of two stories, 25 cubits high, divided into different apart- ments ; above which were battlements of 2 cubits, on a [laraiiet of 3 cubits, making the whole height 80 cubits. (2) " The Towei' Phaiaelus,v:]nch was named from his brother, was 40 cubits square, and solid to the height of 40 cubits ; but above it was erected a cloister 10 cubits high, fortified with breastworks and ramparts ; in the middle of the cloister was carried up another tower, divided into costly cham- bers and a bath-room, so that the tower was in nothing inferior to a palace. Its summit was adorned with parapets and battlements, more than the pre- ceding. It was in all 90 cubits high, and resembled the tower of Pharus near Alexandria, but was of much larger circumference. (3) " The Tower Mariamne was solid to the height of 30 cubits, and 20 cubits square, having above a richer and more exquisitely ornamented dwelling. Its entire height was 55 cubits. " Such in size were the three towers ; but they looked much larger through the site which they occupied; for both the old wall itself, in the range of which they stood, was built upon a lofty eminence, and likewise a kind of crest of tliis eminence reared itself to the height of 30 cubits, on which the towers being situated received much additional elevation. The towers were constructed of white marble, in blocks of 20 cubits long, 10 wide, and 5 deep, so exactly joined together that each tower appeared to be one mass of rock." Now, the modern citadel of Jerusalem occupies the NW. angle of Mount Sion, and its northern wall rises from a deep fosse, having towers at either angle, the bases of which are protected on the outside by massive masonry .sloping upward from the fosse. The NV. tower, divided only by the trench from the Jatia gate, is a square of 45 feet. The NE., com- monly known as the Tower of David, is 70 feet 3 inches long, by 56 feet 4 inches broad. The sloping bulwark is 40 feet high from the bottom of the trench ; but this is much choked up with lubbish. To the tower j^art there is no known or vi>ilile en- trance, either from above or below, and no one knows of any room or space in it. The lower part of this platform is, indeed, the solid rock merely cut into shape, and faced with massive masonry, which rock rises to the height of 42 feet. This rock is doubt- less the crest of the hill described by Jiisephus as 30 cubits or 45 feet hii;h. Now, if the dimensions of Hippicus and Phasaelus, .as already given, are compared with those of the modern towers on the nortli side of the citadel, we find that the dimensions of that at the NV. angle — three of whose sides are determined by the scarj«d nnk on which it is based — so nearly agree with those of Hippicus, and the width of the NE. tower — also determined by the cut rock — so nearly with the square of Pha.saelus, that there can be no difficulty in deciding upon their identity of position. Mariamne has entirely dis- appeared. " To these towers, situated on the north, was joined within — (4) '■ The Royal Palace, surpassing all powers of description. It was entirely surrounded bj- a wall 30 cubits high, with decorated towers at equal in- tervals, and contained enormous banquetting halls, besides numerous chambers richly adorned. There were also many porticoes encircling one another, with different columns to each, surrounding green courts, planted with a variety of trees, having long avenues through them ; and deep channels and re- servoirs everywhere around, filled with bronze sta- tues, through which the water flowed; and many towers of tame pidgeons about the fountains." This magnificent palace, unless the description is exaggerated beyond all licence, must have occupied a larger space than the present fortress, and most probably its gardens extended along the western edge of Mount Sion as far as the present garden of the Armenian Convent ; and the decorated towers of this part of the wall, which was spared by the Pio- mans when they levelled the remainder of the city, seem to have transmitted their name to modern times, as the west front of the city wall at this part is caWti Abroth Ghazzeh, i.e. The Towers of Gaza. (5) As the Xystus is mentioned next to the Hippicus by Josephus, in his description of the north wall of the' Upper City, it m.iy be well to proceed at once to that; deferring the consideration of the Gate Gennath, which obviously occuired between the two, until we come to the Second Wall. The Xystus is properly a covered portico attached to the Greek Gymnasium, which commonly had uncovered walks connected with it. {Uict. Ant. p. 580.) As the Jerusalem Xystus was a place where public meetings were occasionally convened (^Bell. Jud. ii. 6. § 3), it must be understood to be a wide public c2