64

HISTORY OF ENGINEERING.

Qiap. III.

and 6 feet 9 Indies in depth, containing 803 cubic feet, weighing probably 50 tons. Themanner adopted by the ancients to lift such a ponderous mass, and place it safely upon thecapitals of columns, upwards of 40 feet from the ground, deserves our highest admiration.

Most of these temples, like others of the best periods of Greek architecture, were painted,either entirely or in part; the Egyptians and the Etrurians probably set this example.On sandstone, which had not an even surface, previous to painting, they spread a coat offine plaster or calcareous composition : the metopes of one of these temples, of a very earlydate, are painted red, blue, and green; some of the parts were also gilt; and we findsimilar vestiges in the temples at Athens and elsewhere.

JEgesta, according to Cicero, was founded by Eneas, after he fled from Troy. Ithas always been considered one of the most ancient towns in Sicily . This city survivedmany vicissitudes of fortune, and retained its importance till the Saracenic conquest,when it was almost destroyed. The temple that remains is situated to the east of theancient city, placed upon the brow of a craggy precipice : the solidity of its construc-tion as well as simplicity of its architecture, have occasioned it to be classed amongthe earliest existing monuments of Sicily . The stylobate consists of three steps, theupper of which is tooled perpendicularly : each stone forming these steps has a knobprojecting, similar to those in the Propylea at Athens , probably left to afford facility inraising them. The temple is hexastyle peripteral, has fourteen columns in the flanks, includingthose at the angles: the columns, unlike all others, are not fluted, although it was notunusual to work such portions after the buildings were constructed. There is no part ofthe cell remaining: the total length is 190 feet, and width 76 feet 8 inches. There areconsiderable ruins of a theatre, which has some stones in its construction of an enormoussize: it is erected upon a very irregular surface, partly resting on the native rock, and partlyon stone piers and solid walls : there is no vestige of an arched corridor, hut the seats areplaced upon solid masonry: part of the proscenium wall as well as many of the ancientsteps remain.

At Taorminum is a similar theatre, which, from its fine state of preservation, is worthy ofbeing studied. The Greeks seem to have found a situation where little was required tobe done but to excavate the seats out of the native rock, and then erect the exterior andinterior portico which surrounded it. This theatre stands upon an eminence overlookingthe sea, almost entire; all that is not excavated out of the rock is formed with brick, andthe columns with which it was adorned were of marble, probably from the neighbour-ing quarries. The summit of the mountain is of the shape of the portico whichsurrounds the theatre, and formed a beautiful promenade: its site is precisely whatVitruvius recommends, being elevated, and well calculated to convey the sound. Thespectators ascended the rock to the level of the portico by means of several staircases,then entered the theatre, and descended to their seats. In the interior face of the wallwhich surrounds the theatre are niches, which originally contained statues.

The interior, with its orchestra, pulpitum, and proscenium, partly remains: the pulpitumwas ordinarily formed of wood supported by walls, and here such foundations are stillapparent. The proscenium had three doors or entrances, were called aula regia, andaula; hospitalia. Some magnificent views of this theatre, made by Lusieri , were forwardedto England some years ago, and are deposited in the British Museum .

Messina stands upon elevated ground, at the extremity of a range of mountains whichruns through Sicily . There is a broad modern quay, where vessels of almost any burdenmay lie close in deep water. At the western extremity is a small fort and a gate: theother end is closed by the citadel, which is a pentagonal structure, standing on the isthmusof San Raniero: near this is the Lazaretto. The entire circumference of the port, whichis in the form of a sickle or zancle, is about 4 miles, and is said to owe its formation to theeffects of an earthquake, which opened a chasm, afterwards filled with water, upwardsof TO fathom in depth.

Near the lighthouse is the pool Charybdis, formed by the crossing, or rather meeting,of many opposite currents.

The first inhabitants of this celebrated port were the Siculi, driven out by the Cumteans ;who in their turn gave way to the Samians and Messinians.

The straits which divide Sicily from Calabria are so narrow, that small fishing boatsalone are employed to convey the inhabitants from one side to the other ; and many instancesare said to occur in which individuals swam across. St. Francis, in modern times, isreported to have spread his cloak upon the waters, and with one end raised upon his staff*,to have thus passed from one shore to the other.

From the contiguity of Messina to the coast of Italy , it has at all times enjoyed consi-derable commerce: here landed the Normans under Maniaees when Sicily cast off the yokeof the Arabian conquerors in the year 1037 ; but within the present city there is littleremaining to indicate the Norman sway; there are no vestiges of either of the two churchesor other buildings completed by Count Roger — though in the crypt of the cathedral max'be seen some parts of the work of his son, afterwards king. Richard Cceur de Leon, assisted