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DEN

and 15 feet thick. The portico in front of the temple isformed of 24 columns, ranged in four rows, having quadran-gular capitals, on each side of which is a colossal head, sur-mounted by another quadrangular member, containing in eachface a temple doorway with two winged globes above, andother decorations. The shafts of the columns are cylindrical,and of equal diameter throughout. The whole height, includ-ing capital, &c., being a little above 48 English feet.

The front is adorned with a beautiful frieze, covered withfigures, over the centre of which the winged globe is predo-minant. The walls, columns, ceilings, and also the interiorchambers, are in the same manner covered with hieroglyphicsand sculptures, in which the figure of Isis is repeated innumberless instances. The light in the chambers comes inthrough small holes in the wall; the sanctuary itself is quitej dark. The ceiling of the portico is occupied by a number offigures, by some travellers supposed to be the signs of the; zodiac, but with greater accuracy shown by Dr. Richardsonand recent travellers and archaeologists, to be merely a col-lection of mythological emblems, without any reference to| astronomy.

| On the ceiling of one of the apartments in the upperI story, under the roof of the temple, there was anotherj assemblage of mythological emblems, similar to those alreadymentioned, but fewer in number, and differently arranged.This was called a planisphere or zodiac, because in the middleof it figures resembling those usually adopted to representthe signs of the zodiac were observed. The opinion of well-informed travellers, however, with respect to this collectioni of figures, as to the former, is that it is only a represen-j tation of gods and goddesses, and religious processions, andJ has no astronomical meaning whatever,j The so-called circular zodiac, which was sculptured onj a kind of sandstone, was cut out of the ceiling by a French-man , with the permission of the pasha, and conveyed to! France ; when it was purchased by the French government,and deposited in the Museum, at Paris .

DENDROMETER, (from civopov, a tree , and perpew, Imeasure ), an instrument for measuring trees.

The same name has also been applied, though improperly,to instruments contrived for measuring distances and magni-tudes from a single station.

DENTICLES. See Dentils.

DENTILS, (from the Latin , dens, a tooth) a row of similarand equal solids in a cornice, disposed at equal intervals, eachpresenting four sides of a rectangular prism, the sides parallelto the vertical face, and the one parallel to the soffit, beingattached to the vertical and horizontal planes of an internalright angle.

The surfaces of the vertical face are therefore all in thesame plane : and those of the soffits are in the same hori-zontal plane.

The whole series of dentils in the same range, is calledthe denticulated band.

The proportions given by Vitruvius are, that “ the denti-culus is to be equal in height to the middle facia of the archi-trave, and its projection to be the same as its height; thewidth of the dentils is one-half of its height, and the intervalbetween them two-thirds of this quantity.”

The proportions of some of the best examples wheredentils are to be found, are as follow:—

In the Ionic temple of Bacchus, at Teos, the dentils are inheight about one-fourth of that of the cornice, exclusive ofthe inferior bead and fillet next to the architrave : the breadthof the dentils is about two-thirds of their height, and thebreadth of the interval about two-thirds of that of the dentil:their projection is about one-fourth of the height of that part

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of the cornice between their soffits and the summitcornice : the angle is vacant. nfner va

The dentils in the Ionic order of the temple of ■» 1 ^Polias, at Priene , are something less than one-fourth fl fheight of the cornice, or nearly equal to two twenty -* 1that of the entablature : their projection is three j 11 ?half of their height; their breadth, two-thirds of theirthe breadth of the interval, about four-fifths of thal ® ^dentils : the corner is without a dentil, and the son*the vacant angle is enriched with a honeysuckle. t of

In the Corinthian order of the Choragic monu® .gjjtLysicrates, at Athens , the dentils of the cornice are *** ^nearly two-sevenths of that of the cornice, exclusive ^ e irterminating ornament; their breadth is two-thirds o ^gjrheight; and the interval between them, two-thirds e ; 3breadth ; the angle of the cornice at the dentil *>vacant. ° f

In the temple of Jupiter Stator, at Rome , the *“ a dtbithe dentil is nearly one-fifth of the whole cornice; * ts , ter vabtwo-thirds of its height; and the breadth of the in ( j ell til'about one-half of that of the dentil; the angle of theband is filled with a dentil. vrtruvi u3 ’

The reader who wishes to see the rules of )' 1 ar ticl®respecting the placing of dentils, may consult theCornice . ffe r o*

In the frontispiece of the door-way of the I ^ ^gHthe Winds, at Athens , the inclined cornices, doctr * 6as the level one, have dentils, contrary to theof Vitruvius . ,;j g a**®

In the interior cornice of the same tower, both demodillions are employed ; the dentils occupying th potpart of the cornice, agreeably to the Vitruvian t econtrary to every other antique example.

The only ancient example of the Doric orderdentils are to be found, is in the theatre ofat Rome . fjcula te ^

The examples of the Ionic order which have “^jjioer^cornices, are, the temples of Bacchus, at Teos > „ g ; tb®Polias, at Priene ; the aqueduct of Adrian, at A jjoU* 6 'temple of Fortune, and the theatre of Marcello^ nCO ti, 9and the arch of Constantine ; the temple of 0Rome , has both dentils and modillions in the cornlC "-pritb 0 ®The following edifices of the Ionic order, ar^ >dentils in the cornice, viz., the Ionic temple upon , t | ie u3ithe temple of Minerva Polias, and that of ® I<S j eO til '^0Atheus ; and in the Coliseum, at Rome , the h®

is uncut. Examples of the Corinthian order, ^. aie s, ^denticulated cornices, are, the monument of Ly ^° n aarch of Adrian at Athens , and the ruins at Sa o ^ o jj 0 vV* J.dentils and modillions are to be found in a n®

Corinthian edifices : the temples of Jupiter ^ J 1 jy l0 cl ei f g lPeace, the piazza of Nerva, and the baths o ^at Rome ; the lower range of the interior, an j s tyh° ’of the temple of Jupiter, and the vestibulum to the p j> a ln>7 ^at Spalatro ; all the ruined edifices at Balbec , an a a * 0 0

excepting the interior order of the temple of t 0the latter. _ , r

The following edifices of the Corinthian °. r 0 f th e jj c odentil-band uncut, viz., the Coliseum, the port **'' t j ie p o1theon, the temple of Antoninus and Faustina, a ^

of Septimius Severus, at Rome . _ de**t> cU f tb®

Examples of the Composite order, which .andtb^leofcornices, are, the arch of Septimius Severus , te* 11 ?

Goldsmiths, at Rome , and the upper range o ^ J*Jupiter, at Spalatro ; but in the arch of $0

both modillions and dentils are to be fo**"^ r£ 0 tfer 0The frontispiece to the door ~ 1 '

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