Page:Travels & discoveries in the Levant (1865) Vol. 1.djvu/39

Rh mechanically by line and rule, must necessarily fail, inasmuch as we cannot transplant with the architecture the climate and scenery which first inspired the genius of Greek architects, nor the peculiar habits of thought which blended the fortress and the sanctuary into one, and made the same spot the centre and rallying-point of religions and patriotic feelings.

One of the objects which interested me most on the Acropolis was an archaic figure of Pallas Athene, in Parian marble, placed near the lodge of the custode. The goddess is seated in a rude chair; her costume is a tunic reaching to the feet, over which a large asgis falls like a tippet to the waist. In the centre of this ægis is a smooth boss, on which, doubtless, has been painted a Gorgon's head; all round the edge of the ægis are holes, in which metallic ornaments, probably serpents, have been inserted; the studs by which the sleeves have been looped up on the arms have also been of metal, the holes for the insertion being left. The head and both arms from the elbows are wanting. The posture is formal and angular; the knees are close together, but the left foot a little advanced: the drapery is wrought in parallel channels. This statue is about 4 ft. 6 in. high. It is said to have been found at the grotto called Aglaurium, situated at the foot of the Acropolis, immediately below the temple of Athene Polias. It has been thought, therefore, that in this figure we have a reproduction of the original wooden idol, 🇬🇷 of Athene Polias, which was worshipped in her temple on the Acropolis, and C