Page:History of Art in Phœnicia and Its Dependencies Vol 1.djvu/273

 THE TEMPLE IN PIKKNICIA. forms the foundation, and the roof, which is a monolith. The anterior edge of the roof comes forward as far as the rock foundation, forming a kind of awning which was, we may guess, supported originally by metal columns. A glance at our section (Fig. 185) will show how bold and well marked this salience is. The arrangements of this small open chamber are peculiar in more ways than one. In the interior the ceiling is a ilat arch, while the projection in front is hollowed underneath into three oblong coffers. '0 '1 !2 ! 3 FIG. 185. The Maabed at Amrilh. From Renan. The floor of the chamber slopes from back to front, and at each side there are two ledges about thirty-two inches apart. 1 In front of each of the door jambs there is a shallow square hole (c and D), which must have been used to receive either the bases of a pair of columns, or those of candelabra or some other ornament of the kind (Fig. 187). Several more shallow cavities are to be 1 GERHARD sees in these ledges a double throne. Such an hypothesis hardly seems probable, however. Seated face to face like this two sacred images would only present their sides to the spectator. Gerhard was obliged to depend upon very inaccurate drawings for his knowledge of all these Phoenician buildings, and in spite of his penetration he was often misled by them ( Ueber die Kunst do- P/ioenizier, P- 5^-