Page:History of Art in Sardinia, Judæa, Syria and Asia Minor Vol 1.djvu/238

 2)8 A History of Art in Sardinia and Jud.ea. similar arrangement about Egyptian temples. Like these, it is surrounded by an open space, which in Egypt intervened between it and the sacred enclosure, or, as the text has it, "with twin galleries at the side." 1 Now galleries imply a porch such as we have put here ; and not to leave a blank in the plan, we have restored the interior of this building, which was no other than the parbar or parvar, dedicated to the sun god, already referred to in another place. Nor was this a new structure ; for long before the time of Josias, a heathen fane had stood there, which Ezekiel must have been cognisant of, but which he dismisses with a few words as a distasteful subject. 2 Assuming that our hypothesis will be admitted as at least possible, we have placed here a temple of Egyptian type, dis- tinguished by a double gateway, repositories for the service of the god, together with a small secos, or adytum, surrounded by a narrow corridor. Leaving this mysterious edifice, we pass to the twin halls which intervene between the two lateral enclosures of the sanctuary and the after court. A walk ioo cubits by ten extends along them, dividing the block into two halves. They were entered on the east by a passage with a perpendicular opening into the exterior platform. The doors of these chambers faced north, towards the precincts of Israel. As these buildings were three stories high, we have given additional thickness to the walls, and provided them besides with numerous supports to enable them to bear the pressure that would be put upon them by the roofs of the porches. 3 Behind these halls are two open spaces or small squares, each with an outlet — one by a narrow opening into the court of Israel, and the other on the opposite side, by a flight of steps leading to the outward terrace, known afterwards as the court of the Gentiles — the free space of 50 cubits in Ezekiel's plan. 4 In our restoration, the four corners of the outer platform are provided each with a watch-tower of no particular height. The main entrance is on the east side, which the prophet reserved for the sole use of the king. The palace stood on Mount Ophel, towards the south of Moriah. Its outer buildings on the south face, where we have restored two doorways, were conterminous with the sacred area. The reasons that have deterred us from attempting a restoration of the royal palace, as well as the 1 Lzek. xli. 14. 2 1 Chron. xxvi. 18; Ezek. xli. 15 ; 2 Kings xxvi. 11. 8 Ezek. xlii. 4-14. 4 Ibid., xlv. 2.