Page:Palestine Exploration Fund - Quarterly Statement for 1894.djvu/241

Rh just as in the fragment from Jebail. The symbols of lions and oxen are also found on the statue, though not in the same positions as in the fragment.

Is it not likely that the fragment, instead of being a mere pillar or caryatid, is part of a similar statue of the Ephesian Diana?

2em

21st May.



had occasion to remark how much Western Palestine differs from Syria and the country east of Jordan in the matter of rude stone monuments and of ancient pagan bas-reliefs. Little pottery images of Ashtoreth, at Gezer and Lachish, are almost the only Canaanite remains found in the West until Roman times, and the dolmens occur only in Upper Galilee and at Banias. The same is remarkable as to ancient Greek texts. In Bashan we have many dating back to the first century A.D. Those collected during the course of the Survey in the West were few, and appear to be mostly of the Byzantine and mediæval periods. It may be convenient to collect them together.

1–4. At Banias are four well-known texts (Waddington, 1891–1894), that of Agrippa dating from 222 while another (1893) speaks of the Priest of Pan, and the two others (1891–1892) of the son of Lysimachus.

5. At Deir Dughiya, with Maltese crosses, is in honour of John the Baptist, perhaps as late as the twelfth century.

6. At Shakra, with the Jerusalem cross, is by a deacon, in honour of Holy Procopius, and seems clearly to be of the twelfth century.

7. At Masûb, in honour of the Prophet Zachariah, by certain canons, has been imperfectly copied, but is also mediæval.

8. At Marûn er Râs, is too badly copied to be read.

9. At Shefa Amr, on a Christian tomb, "Lord Christ help Sal . . .. and have mercy on his child." This is, perhaps, early, as the name of Christ is spelt.

10. At Sheikh Ibreik over a tomb,.

11. At Bel'ah. Looking again at my original note book I find that there are traces of the letter, so that it reads. The last three letters are not, as Mr. Drake thought, the date, but the monogram peculiar to Syria, "Christ born of Mary," which was used before the fourth century. This tomb also is, therefore, Early Christian.

12. At El Habs. "In memory of George," is mediæval, and belongs to a hermitage.