Looking through this historic arch, I saw a group of stately columns in the distance. They are the only relics that remain of the great Temple of Olympian Jove. Even the writers of antiquity, familiar though they were with splendid structures, speak of that shrine as being awe-inspiring in its grandeur. With the exception of the Temple of Diana at Ephesus, it was the largest Grecian temple ever built. There were, originally, at least one hundred and twenty-six of these Corinthian columns. They formed almost a marble forest. Within it was a veritable maze of statues, including one of Jupiter, which was world-renowned; but these, as well as nearly all the columns, have long since been abstracted or destroyed.
PLATFORM OF DEMOSTHENES.
DEPARTED GLORY.
These marble giants do not form a single group. Two of them stand apart, like sentries stationed to give warning of the fresh approach of the despoiler. Between them one column lies prostrate; a sad reminder of the fate that has overtaken so many of its brethren. However, unlike most other ruins in the world, this was not caused by the maliciousness of man. On the night of the 26th of October, 1852, a heavy rainstorm undermined the soil at its base, and the huge column, overcome at last, fell its full length of sixty feet upon the sand. It is interesting to observe how evenly its massive sections still rest upon the ground, like bricks set up in rows to push each other over in their fall.
It is said that the prostrate column could be restored, but perhaps it is more eloquent as it lies. The shaft above it, with its beautiful Corinthian capital, presents a striking contrast. One seems proudly to say, "See what this noble temple was!" the other to murmur pathetically, "See what it is to-day!"