Page:Greek Buildings Represented by Fragments in the British Museum (1908).djvu/61

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THE TOMB OF MAUSOLUS. 45 the sides. (Fig. 31.) But only the former has the proper difference of two bays, and this disposition exactly suits the size of the foundation. In this we have a proof that Pliny's number, 36, is trustworthy.* The Pyramid. The facts known in regard to the Pyramid give further proofs as to the dimension arrived at for the intercolumniation and for the size of the whole peristyle. Many of the " steps " which finished the roof or pyramid of the structure were found. These steps were of two dimensions on the "tread" — 17 inches and nearly 21^. From 40 to 50 steps were found. " In all cases but two the treads measured i, 9 or i, S ;" the two exceptions had treads of 9 and loA inches. It is evident from this that most of the steps were wide. Two angle stones in the Museum show the dimension of 21^ inches in one direction and 17 inches in the other. If there had been a continuous pyramid of such steps its base must have had the proportion of about 34 to 43 on plan. It has been computed from the actual sculptures of the chariot group which stood on the summit that it required a platform of about 20 by 35 feet. This proportion is again practically the same, and we may now state that the whole base of the pyramid had sides in the ratio of about 34 to 43. This agrees almost exactly with the ratio of eight bays to ten required by the peri- style, and, as will be seen on the diagram (Fig. 34), the columnia- tion of eight and ten bays must have governed the proportion of the pyramid base.

  • Falkener dealt with objections to central columns. Where conditions

were free, as in the flanks of temples, an odd number of columns seems to have been preferred. An interesting fact has recently been discovered in regard to the temple of Samos. It was dipteral, with 8 columns on the east front, 24 on the flanks, and with prostyles in front of each end of the cella, giving three rows of columns at the ends. At the west etid thfre were 9 columtis instead 0/ S to lessen the spans. With the columns as described, and four more in the pronaos, we obtain a total of 127, the number Phny said there were at EPHESUS. Fergusson pointed out that at the latter the seven very wide spans of the principal front equalled eight of the medium spans, and it seems very probable that at Ephesus, too, the back portico had 9 columns like Samos.