Click on image to open
full size in new window. | Title / Description: Temple of Bel
Provenance: Palmyra, Syria
Object Type: image - architecture
Commentary: The site of the Tempel of Bel had likely been a cultic area for some time prior to the construction of the Roman Temple in the 1st century CE. This original holy area was incorporated into the Temple as the structure's focal point, located in the center of a walled-in courtyard. Inside this central sanctuary (cella) were two chambers, an altar, and a sacred pool. This picture shows the facade of one of an entrance to one of the Temple's inner chambers. Although the structure is somewhat weathered, one can notice the engaged Corinthian half columns flanking the doorway, cornice, and rows of niches in the walls perpendicular to the entranceway.
Bibliography:
The Archaeological Encyclopedia of the Holy Land;
The Oxford Encyclopedia of Archaeology in the Near East, vol. 4
Author of Commentary: Adam Mendelson
Source: Cutts, Edward L.
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