Butler Diary: Northern and Central Syria IV, 1900

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Ḳalʿat Sêdjar (Larissa) March 16, 1900

The site of ancient Larissa situated on a curve of the Orontes where the river comes through a narrow rocky gorge and flows out into the plain preserves few traces of the Greco-Roman city.

The acropolis is occupied by the ruins of a Saracenic castle and a squalid modern village it occupies the abrupt end of a rocky ridge and was cut off from the ridge by a broad deep moat excavated in the rock on the south. To the east the rock falls steeply to the river. To the north and west it decends to the plain. The whole acropolis was surrounded by a heavy wall the foundations of which are doubtless in situ. It was reached in ancient times by a bridge over the moat in the south as it is today tho' the present bridge is Saracenic. The late ruins are full of classic fragments - columns, caps bases and lots of decoration. The caps are Corinthian & Ionic.

In the plain are traces of a wall which enclosed the lower city and the surface is shown with ancient architectural fragments.

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Ḳalʿat il Muḍîḳ (Apamea) March 17&18th, 1900

From Ḳalʿat Sêdjar we moved the camp northward, crossing the river just below the town and travelling over the rolling downs of the river valley about four hours toward the Southern foothills of the Djebel. Here is situated the ruin of a great Saracenic castle upon the acropolis of the ancient city of the Seleuicid kings. The ruin is now occupied by a large and filthy village.

The acropolis rises directly from a great marsh which was once a lake. From either side of the acropolis begin the walls of the lower city which run to the North and South and then turn eastward to enclose an enormous area.

The walls are easily traceable throughout this entire length, parts of them have been rebuilt by the Saracens but in a number of places the ancient stonework, of excellent character, is still in situ. Toward the East and South a deep narrow valley forms a natural moat below the walls but toward the north the country is level.

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Remains of a great gate are to be found in the southwall and in the north. The former was reached by a broad roadway ascending from the valley along the slope below the wall. There were two gates in the East wall.

A great double colonnade ran through the city connecting the North and South gates. This was bisected by two similar colonnades connecting with the two east gates.

On the west of the great colonnade, nearer the north gate then the south, are the remains of a great public building, in all directions are ruins of other large buildings all in late classic style. Just south of the acropolis, on the opposite slope, above the avenue which led down to the lake, are the remains of a great vaulted substructure with ornamental pilasters and cornice on the side.

Upon the acropolis there are no remains of antiquity but the foundations of great walls and a quantity of fragments of capitals, columns, architraves and inscriptions

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Great Colonnade - From the south gate of the city to the north gate this great avenue of columns bisected the city. Two colonnaded avenues joined this main one, running from the two east gates and probably, carried through toward the acropolis at the west, tho' all remains of these portions on the west of the main colonnade are missing. The main colonnade was once a mile in length. The avenue was a little over 21 meters wide between the columns.

The order of the colonnade is Roman Corinthian from one end to the other. The only perceptible variation being in the shapes, of which there are three kinds, plain, fluted and twisted.

A minute examintion however shows that some parts of the work are better executed than others. Behind the colonnade ran a solid wall broken at intervals for entrance to streets. At these points was a broad spacing of the columns. From the columns to the wall a continuous gabled roof covered the colonnade. No portion of this great structure is standing ^ over ^ six feet above the present level but it is not difficult to restore it.

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