POP

320

POR

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given at Pompeii , as this was a privilege reserved to the an-cient and more renowned temples ; besides, oracles had every-where ceased before this edifice, or temple, if it may be socalled, was erected ; and, moreover, the entrances into it aretoo public, and the whole contrivance too gross to dupe thedullest peasant, much less the polished inhabitants of Pom-peii . In this building there are niches, where various statuesof Yenus, Priapus , &c., were found, which, with the furni-ture, marble, and pictures, were transported to Portici . Behindthis temple, on one side, is a court surrounded with a portico,supported by sixteen Doric pillars, and, from a sort of pulpiton one side, it may be inferred, that it was intended for somepublic assembly. Another court follows with a similar por-tico, and communicates with the grand portico of the theatre,supported by more than sixty stone pillars of the Doric order,but, in proportion, bordering upon Tuscan. Near this por-tico lie several fragments of columns of a much larger size,and of bolder proportion ; which, perhaps, belonged to thetemple of Neptune, and may have been thrown down and laidin their present situation by the earthquake, which nearlydestroyed this city a few years previous to the eruption thatburied it finally. The most perfect and most curious objectthat has yet been discovered is a villa at a little distance fromthe town. It consists of three courts ; in the first and largestis a pond, and in the centre an asdicula, or little temple: thereare numerous apartments of every description, paved inMosaic , coloured and adorned with various paintings on thewalls, all in a very beautiful style. The baths in this villaseem to have been objects of particular attention.

Cicero’s Pompeianum stood in the neighbourhood of thistown, and possibly on this very spot. It was a favouriteretreat, much frequented by Cicero and his friends. Thehouses at Pompeii are on a small scale, generally of one,sometimes of two stories: the principal apartments arealways behind, enclosing a court, with a portico round it,and a marble cistern in the middle ; two had glass windows,in the others shutters only were used; the pavements are allMosaic , and the walls are stained with mild colours ; thedecorations are basso-relievos in stucco, and paintings inmedallions. Marble seems to have been common. An extentof about 500 feet of the town wall has been completelycleared. It is from eighteen to twenty feet high, twelvethick, and fortified at short distances with square towers.In the main street, passing in front of the temple of Isis, hasbeen discovered the portico of the theatre. Near the samespot, ten feet below the level of the street, was found a humanskeleton, and immediately beneath it a large collection ofgold and silver medals, in the finest preservation, chieflyof the reign of Domitian . Under a superb portico, in thequarter of the tombs, a number of skeletons have been dis-covered, and among them those of a female and several chil-dren. Three finger-rings and several ear-rings were foundamong the bones. Two vases were also discovered full ofwater, with ashes at the bottom. In one the water was limpidand odourless: in the other it was of a brownish tinge, and hadthe taste of lye—In the Crystal Palace at Sydenham, a faithfulrepresentation is given of some of the remains of Pompeii .

POMPEION, a stately edifice at Athens , in which werekept the sacred utensils made use of at festivals, and whereall things necessary for the solemn processions were prepared.It stood at the entrance of the old city, which looked towardsPhalerum, and was adorned with many statues of the Athe-nian heroes. This word was likewise used for any utensilsemployed on these occasions.

POMPEY’S PILLAR. See Pillar.

POPPY HEAD, a carved ornament used as a termi-nating ornament at the top of the standards of ancient

church-benches. The design of such ornaments “near 11 !confined to one particular form, as the name might aPPsignify, but were most frequently in the form ot ^ ff ui' e8 ’composed of foliage of various kinds, grotesque °crests, and various other devices. atibul 6 ’

PORCH, (from the Latin , porticus) a kind of ve r tb e-’ ’ ’ ' 1 ■ "

supported by columns, much used at the entrance

ancient temples, halls, churches, and many otherSee Atrium.

buikM

i or “

In the ancient architecture, a porch was a vestib u ll ,diposition of insulated columns, usually crowned r otpediment, forming a covert place before the princip® 1a temple, or court of justice. ,

When it had four columns in front, it was calle • ^j, e ostyle; when six, hexastyle; when eight, octost]/ 1ten, decastyle, &c. Vitruvius calls it pronas; gjejd 3•xpoSoyos, prodomos: when finer than ordinary, thecall it, also, propyleum. uS u#lV

Porches are almost universal in churches, and are ;ggt) ln^on the south side, and in the second bay from the * ce9 otthe position is frequently determined by the circumthe locality.

Norman porches are frequently of large dimen j 0 d <highly enriched with the ornament peculiar to th® .jj 0 tlie rmany such have been preserved in buildings, whicrespects have been entirely rebuilt in a later sty 1 ,'fine porches of this kind are to be found at J* 1Sherbourne, and Southwell, the last having Ji r0 ° m j j0 nd o11

jdpn?

Malm^o' e ‘,

kmvit/vuiiiU) auu uuutuvrcu) tuc iuoc ua* . yj0‘'

there is also a very fine one at the Temple Churc n jj oC q\i , iEarly English specimens occur at Wells, Salisbu*)’^ in jand Westminster; and the examples in this as w e p eC oi'» ,eNorman style, are almost invariably of stone. g0lI) eb ,I1 f

orwl P<ii*nonf 11 />n 1 or nnt'Mioo oro fpormorvtlv nf wooo,

and Perpendicular porches are frequently of wooo, , v >oientirely closed at the sides, but more often of t j,e ro 0 ^and with ornamental barge boards at the end o o

many very beautiful specimens are to beboth styles. ca tl> e ^ r9 *

A few Galilee porches exist in some of ourSee Galilee, and Cathedral, also Church. nO uiin atl0 jPORPHYRY, (from ™ P tf>vp 0C , purple ) a c0SD p°fjthat distinguishes a large class of primitive r0 j g ’of one substance, in the form of grains, or cry sta ^ t p 0 ste>in another, consisting most commonly of a J comP a ' nct>Cits basis. The base is clay-stone, horn-stone, c0 j a ' > te J er e

,lie ofp or P h ^f 3 p*> n :

cons'f 8 r in6 {

pitch-stone, pearl-stone, or obsidianor crystals, are of quartz, or felspar. .appear to be two formations ; the most ancient ^ t ]jecipally of horn-stone and felspar porphyry?

recent are of clav i * -

porphy r v 7 ’i.„ ,, P'tch-stone, pearl-stone, ® nc

separated from P ntic format ion is not very ai ‘'" oa tiy

"or is hsTnkTmof;% r0Ck f ™ ions ^ icb ^regAto antiquity £ tbe primitive mountains, wi ° 0 f

porphyry are notZr° W ascCT tnined. Thesubstances. If s <„ f ,de< ?’ an< * never enclose beds osionally occur, ; n . ^ . ure 18 commonly compact, but ril lveins the £ ' ?ch \ st ^one. It is not very rich m ** 0 f

Sc hweitz in ‘Z P or Pbyry is the most rich. The & ftI -e, ,n Hun 8«7. which are of this descript>o»,

obsi'

din' 1

dist in !

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belo”®.

fou^nd in this species of rock.

ing to the nrfw? ^ ave reckoned five species of roCK ‘V,jjot v3 ’

> P P^ r P 0r pbyritic formation, which are as r p.

’ " - „fwhich,_>f’<g’ (ii;il .

,af*

Vil 1 ..__

stone, is generaiufT’^phyry, the base of whiv..-,tery fracture - n or green, with a conchoid ., g p.This is also V*!' enc * os,n £ crystals of quartz an , r dne&

itS tie$ oat

difficulty e ® d want of Iustre l H is fus, J ’ znetl^y ' ” ome times the felspar is decayed? and ao®*