Miscellanea Curiosa, Vol. 3: containing a collection of curious travels, voyages, and natural histories of countries as they have been delivered in to the Royal SocietyRoyal Society (Great Britain)
History
Miscellanea Curiosa, Vol. 3: containing a collection of curious travels, voyages, and natural histories of countries as they have been delivered in to the Royal Society
Royal Society (Great Britain)
Natural history; Science -- Early works to 1800; Voyages and travels -- Early works to 1800
This affords a sufficient confirmation of what I before observed, that
these were Honorary Inscriptions in Memory of those that had behaved
themselves well in Publick Offices; of which we have several mentioned
here, whereof some are very well known, but the others not easie to
be met with in Books. By the Word ΜΗΤΡΟΚΟΛΩΝΕΙΑΣ, we may be assured
that though the City was reduced by the _Romans_ into the form of a
Colony, yet it had a peculiar mark of Honour set upon it, to signifie
that it was the chief of their Colonies in these Oriental Parts. That
the Authority also of their Senate and People was continued to them.
And besides that there was a Society of Men, either Curators of the
Temple of _Jupiter Belus_ (to whom the Temple before described perhaps
was dedicated,) or Overseers of the Sports and Festivals that were
celebrated in Honour of him; of which Sodality this _Septimius_ was,
when this Inscription was made, a _Symposiarch_, perhaps their Chief
and Governour. By this too we find they did not wait for the Deaths of
those they thus honoured, before they provided for the Preservation of
their Memories; but Famous Men were thus Registered for After-Ages even
while they were alive. Upon one of these Pedestals before described,
not far from the former, was the following Inscription; which I valued
the more for the little remainder it has preserved of the Name of
_Palmyra_, by which the Place was known to the _Romans_.
...ΥΠΙΛΙΟΝ ΟΥΟΡΩΔΗΝ [ΣΥΝΚΛ]ΗΤΙΚΟΝ ΚΑΙ ΒΟΥΛΕΥΤΗΝ ΠΑΛΜΥΡΗΝΟΝ ΒΗΛΑ
ΚΑΒΟΣΑΡΣΑ ΤΟΝ ΦΙ[ΛΟΝ] ΤΕΙΜΗΣ ΧΑΡΙΝ ΕΤΟΥΣ Ο Φ.
[Sidenote: The Banquetting-House.]
The upper end of this spacious Piazza was shut in by a row of Pillars,
standing somewhat closer than those on each side; and perhaps there
might have been a kind of Banquetting-House above, but now no certain
Footsteps thereof remain. But a little farther to the left Hand, and,
it may be, continued with the former Walk, lie the Ruins of a very
stately Building, which I am apt to believe might have been for such
an use. 'Tis built of better Marble, and has an Air of Delicacy and
Exquisiteness in the Work, beyond what is discernable in the Piazza.
The Pillars which supported it are of one entire Stone; and on one of
them that is fallen down, but so firm and strong that it has received
no Injury thereby, we measured, and found 22 Foot in length, and in
compass 8 Foot and 9 Inches. Among these Ruins we found the only
_Latin_ Inscription we saw in the Place, and that so imperfect, there
is but little of it Intelligible.
_......es Orbis & Propagatores Generis Humani D. D. N. N.
_Diocletianus_ ............ssimi Impp. Et _Constantius_ & _Maximianus_
Nobb. Cæs. Castra feliciter condiderunt._
And upon the same Stone a little lower,
Public-domain text, read in full here on John Shaqi.
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