"At St111111111, which is a promontory forming a southernmost point of Attica, are the remains of two Doric buildings ; one is a Propyhea, the porticos of which have two columns placed between antte. The other building is a temple dedicated to Minerva-Sunias. The portico consisted of 6 columns, and 10 have been ascertained on the flanks ; but the building is so much in ruins, that the exact number cannot be clearly made out. The structures arc of marble, highly finished, and belong to the best ages of Grecian architecture. ' The striking remains of the temple of :Minerva on the promontory of Sunium arc, in all probability, to be attributed to the same authors.' "At Thorieus, about eight miles to the north of Cape Sunium, are the remains of a singular Doric building, which was found half-bu•ied in the sand, which being cleared, a portico was discovered, having 14 columns on each front, and 7 in each return ; and as no remains of walls were discovered within the area, it is conjectured that the building was not a temple, but an open portico, perhaps an agora ; these columns are only fluted at their upper and lower extremities.
Leaving Attica, we shall now pass into Sicily, where we find the remains of one of the most astonishing specimens of Doric architecture, surpassing in magnitude all that we have hither to noticed. This is the celebrated temple of Jupiter Olympias at Agrigentum, now called Girgenti, and which Virgil styled, from a neighbouring river, Agragas. It was the wealthiest and most powerful city of Sicily, and accord ing to Diogenes Laertius, contained within its territory S00,000 persons. ' The temples of Agrigentum, numerous and costly as they are, appear to have arisen during little more than a single century. The prosperity and independ ence of the city commenced with Theron, about 450 years before Christ ; after the battle of Himera (taught on the same day as that of Salamis), his thoughts were entirely turned to its decorations, and the Carthaginian prisoners were made to assist by their labour in the erection of trophies to perpetuate the glory of their conquerors. The Agrigen tines continued in this employment until a second and more successful invasion of the Carthaginians found them occupied in completing the temple of Jupiter Olympius, the greatest in the island, and one of the most stupendous monuments of ancient times.' "The temple of Jupiter was, in its proportions, truly colossal, and it ranked among ancient Greek temples as second only to that of Diana at Ephesus, (which was 425 feet long, and 220 feet in breadth); it was 369 feet in length, its breadth 1S2 feet, and its height 120 feet, in which dimen sions Mr. Cockerel] is of opinion that it exceeded the build ing at Ephesus. Unlike other Doric structures, in this temple the columns are not detached from the walls, thus they present only the appearance of half-columns ; these, however, are 13 feet in diameter, so that if the columns had been disengaged, their circumference would have been more than 40 feet, a dimension exceeding the largest columns in Egyptian architecture. (The Roman-Doric column, erected by Sir Christopher Wren, called the Monument, is only 15 feet in diameter, though of a proportion much loftier). The
echinus of the capitals is formed of two large stones, each weighing 212 tons ; the triglyphs are in single stones, each weighing 121 tons ; few of the stones employed in the entab lature weigh less than S tons; and a man could stand in one of the flutings of the columns. As compared with a modern building, we may observe, that the width of the cell is two feet more than the nave of St. Paul's, and the height exceeds it by 18 feet. The front portico, in which were 7 columns, had the battle between the Gods and the Titans represented in the pediment ; and in that of the other portico was sculptured a representation of the siege of Troy, in which each hero was distinguished by the peculiarity of his dress and arms. (Dio dorus). In the interior was a double row of pilasters rang ing like the pillars of a cathedral ; the attic story above the pilasters was supported by the figures of the rebellious and defeated giants, most appropriately placed there to con tribute to the glory of Olympian Jove, whose power they dared to oppose. The proportions of the Titans are as vast as the other parts of the structure : being 25 feet in height ; with heads alone 3 feet 10 inches, and chests 3 feet across.
"The other temples of Agrigcntum were very numerous; in the year 1790, by Sir Richard Colt Hoare, 11 could be traced in different stages of dilapidation. The next in size to that of Jupiter was one dedicated to Hercules, which was 154 feet long, and 55 feet broad, having 6 Doric fluted columns in each front, and on each flank ; the columns were 7 feet in diameter at bottom, and onlv 4 feet 10 inches below the capitals, showing a very great diminution.
"At Selinus, or Selinuntium, (so called from the great quantity of parsley, cEn,uvov), on the southern coast of were six magnificent Doric temples. probably the largest ever erected in this style, and which appear to have been over thrown by an earthquake. One of these is believed to have been 331 feet long, and 161 feet broad, with columns 60 feet high ; a stone, which is supposed to have formed part of an architrave, is 40 feet long, 7 feet deep, and 3 feet thick, and some of the columns were found to be 12 feet in diameter, and others 10 feet 10 inches, and 4S feet high. Near these ruins were the remains of a hexastyle-peripteral temple, com puted to have been 186 feet long, and 76 feet broad on its upper step, and to have had 36 columns in all, 6 feet 5 inches in diameter. Another temple, not far from these, was 232 feet by 83 feet on its upper step, with fluted columns. 6 in each front, and 16 on the flanks. The other three temples are supposed to have been unfinished when they were thrown down. One of these had portieos of 7 columns in front with 17 on each flank ; another had 6 columns in the porticos, and 16 on each flank. In the quarry near Campo Bello, whence it is presumed the materials were derived, are vet some shafts of columns, 10 feet in diameter, and one of 12 feet, still joined to their natural bed of stone. Mr. Wood measured one block of an architrave, 26 feet 2 inches long, 4 feet 9 inches wide, and 6 feet 10 inches high. The city was, 409 B. c., nearly destroyed by the Carthagi nians.