Proceedings of the expedition to explore the northern coast of Africa, from Tripoly eastward : $b in MDCCCXXI. and MDCCCXXII., comprehending an account of the Greater Syrtis and Cyrenaica; and of the ancient cities composing the pentapolisBeechey, Frederick William
History
Proceedings of the expedition to explore the northern coast of Africa, from Tripoly eastward : $b in MDCCCXXI. and MDCCCXXII., comprehending an account of the Greater Syrtis and Cyrenaica; and of the ancient cities composing the pentapolis
Beechey, Frederick William
Sidra, Gulf of (Libya); Tripoli (Libya) -- Antiquities; Tripoli (Libya) -- Discovery and exploration
Of the buildings contained within the walls of the city, the most
interesting of those whose plans were distinguishable, appeared to
us to be the two Christian churches which will be found, with all
the details we could procure of them, in the plate, page 367. In
both these it will be seen, that the part devoted to the altar was
on the eastern side of the building; but the extreme length of one
of them is much greater than usual, and it is not unlikely that
the portion at its western extremity, although comprised in the
same line of wall, was part of another building.
Near one of these (that to the eastward of the town) we found
part of an entablature in the worst taste of the lower empire,
which we conjectured to be the remains alluded to by Signor Della
Cella, as probably having formed a part of the temple of Bacchus:
it is true that they are mentioned by the Doctor as capitals and
not as parts of the epistylia; but as the fragment is small, it is
possible that such a mistake may have been made; and if this be not
what is alluded to in the passage below, we confess that nothing
else could be found among the ruins which would at all correspond
with the description[8].
The streets of Teuchira appear to have been built in squares,
and to have crossed each other at right angles. One large street
seems to have passed completely across the town, from the eastern
to the western gateway; and towards the centre of this we found
some columns and the arch of a gateway which probably stood across
the street. In various parts of the city, to the north-east and
south-west of it in particular, there are imposing remains of
fallen columns and entablatures, which have no doubt belonged to
buildings of more than ordinary importance; but without excavation
it would not be possible to give any satisfactory account of them,
and we have not ventured, in our plan of the town, to hazard any
attempt at restoring them. There are also some interesting remains
of buildings at the north-eastern angle of the city, where part of
a quarry has been enclosed within the walls for the better defence
of the place, to which indeed it effectually contributes; a strong
fort has been built at this angle, in an elevated and commanding
position, which appears to have been the citadel, or _strong-hold_
of the town. Without the walls, to the westward of the town, there
are also some interesting remains, the plans of which we attempted
to complete without success: we found there a group in alto-relief,
apparently of Roman workmanship, of which we have given an outline
at page 367. There were probably, in earlier times, many statues
in the city of Teuchira; but none of them at present remain,
not, at least, that we could discover; and they have, perhaps,
not survived the barbarism of the Vandals, or the fanaticism and
ignorance of those who have succeeded them.
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