Page:History of Art in Sardinia, Judæa, Syria and Asia Minor Vol 1.djvu/254

 A History of Art in Sardinia and Jud^a. of stone pillars in front. As neither form nor proportions are specified in the text, we were free to take the superimposed volutes of our capitals from Cyprus, and the rosettes and palms of our architraves and pilasters from Phoenicia. In one of the rooms under Wilson's Arch, pilasters were found, one in each corner, with superimposed volutes such as we have restored, whilst the walls exhibited stones similar in character to those of the oldest portions in the foundation wall. 1 Buildings are ranged round the inner court (Fig. 148) or "upper pavement," supported by the basement wall referred to in Kings (Fig. 148). 2 "Solo- mon built the inner court with three rows of stones and one row of cedar beams." The latter combustible ele- ment has been thought to mean a balustrade over the three stone wall dividingthe inner courses of the low from the outer en- closure. But we shall do no violence to the text by supposing that the row of beams specified were perpendicular to the direction of the wall, their extremities being fixed into circular grooves in the terrace wall, and the low stone barrier respectively (Fig. 149). The rafters were near one to the other, and sufficiently strong to carry a mosaic pavement or light flagging. It should be noticed that the slaughter-houses were open to the sky, but in case of rain, shelter could be found in the portico, which was exactly the same as that of the outer court, save that it may have been more elaborately decorated. 1 This is the masonry room of The Recovery, and is at least as old as Herod {Recovery, pp. 86-89). 2 1 Kings vi. 36 ; vii. 1 2. Fig. 147. — Capital of Pilaster, in subterraneous Chamber. Recovery, p. 89.