The Date of this is not legible, neither does one know what Judgment to make of the thing it self. That such a Pillar should be erected only to support the Inscription, and convey these Mens Names to After-Ages, without particularizing what they did to deserve that Honour, is something strange: unless we may suppose it was a prevailing Vanity in these Eastern Countries thus to endeavour to Eternize their Fame. An Instance whereof we have in Scripture, in Absalom's setting him up a Pillar, 2 Kings 18. 18. and perhaps before him, in Saul, 1 Sam. 15. 12. Otherwise it may appear no improbable Conjecture, that the Pillar was erected long before upon some other Occasion, and afterwards made use of to this end: And I look upon it as past all doubt that several other Inscriptions which we saw, were much more Modern than the Pillars, on which they were engraved.
The Piazza.
Proceeding forward, directly from the Obelisk, about 100 Paces, you come to a Magnificent Entrance, vastly large and lofty, and for the exquisiteness of the Workmanship not inferior to any thing before described. I wish I could add, that it had not suffered the same Fate as the rest, and then we might have seen a rare Piece of the Ancient Beauty of the Place. This Entrance leads you into a Noble Piazza of more than half a Mile long, 938 Yards according to our Measuring, and 40 Foot in breadth, enclosed with two rows of stately Marble Pillars, 26 Foot high, and 8 or 9 about. Of these remain standing and entire 129, but by a moderate Calculate there could not have been less at first than 560. Covering there is none remaining, nor any Pavement at the bottom, unless it be buried under the Rubbish. But upon almost all the Pillars we found Inscriptions, both in Greek and the Language unknown, of which we had time to take but very few, and those not very Instructive. But such as they are I'll present you them here, without observing any other Order, but as they happened to be transcribed.
ΙΟΥΛΙΟΝ ΑΥΡΗΛΙΟΝ ΖΕΒΕΙΔΑΝ ΜΟΚΙΜΟΥ ΤΟΥ ΖΕΒΕΙΔΟΥ .......: ΑΣΘΩΡΟΒΑΙΔΑΟΙ ΣΥΝ Α(Υ)ΤΩ ΚΑΤΕΛΘΟΝΤΕΣ ΕΙΣ ΟΛΟΓΕΣΙΑΔΑ ΕΝΠΟΡΟΙΑΝ ΕΣΤΗΣΑΝ ΑΡΕΣΑΝΤΑ ΑΥΤΟΙΣ ΤΕΙΜΗΣ ΧΑΡΙΝ ΞΑΝΔΙΚΩ ΤΟΥ ΗΝΦ ΕΤΟΥΣ....
I give you, Sir, these Inscriptions, as those before, just as I found them, without any Amendments, so much as of litteral Faults, only where a Letter, or piece of a Word was not legible, if I could make a probable Conjecture what it should be, I have ventured to add it. The last seems to have been put up in Memory of an Embassy, performed by those Men that are named therein, for settling a Commerce and Traffick, which was to their Satisfaction accomplish'd: But with whom, till I can find out what Place is meant by[15]ΟΛΟΓΕΣΙΑΔΑ, I must remain Ignorant. I am unwilling to entertain any Thoughts of Getia in Macedonia, or of Olgassus, a Place mentioned by Strabo in Bythinia, which comes a little nearer the Name, being both so remote, and the City of Tadmor ill contrived for a Place of Trade, being far from the Sea, and without the Advantage of any River. Yet the Magnificence of the Place shews they have not wanted Riches among them: And their Salt is a Commodity which still brings them in a considerable Advantage. The Order of the Numeral Letters you may take notice is again inverted; but taking them the right way, the Year 558 falls in with the last Year of the Reign of Alexander Severus, which is of our Lord 234.
About the middle of the Piazza, upon another Pillar, was this following Inscription.
Η ΒΟΥΛΗ ΚΑΙ Ο ΔΗΜΟΣ ΙΟΥΛΙΟΝ ΑΥΡΗΛΙΟΝ ΖΗΝΟΒΙΟΝ ΤΟΝ ΚΑΙ ΖΑΒΔΙΛΑΝ ΔΙΣΜΑΛΧΟΥ ΤΟΥ ΝΑΣΣΟΥΜΟΥ ΣΤΡΑΤΗΓΗΣΑΝΤΑ ΕΝ ΕΠΙΔΗΜΙΑ ΘΕΟΥ ΑΛΕΞΑΝΔΡΟΥ ΚΑΙ ΥΠΗΡΕΤΗΣΑΝΤΑ ΠΑΡΟΥΣΙΑ ΔΙΗΝΕΚΕΙ ΡΟΥΤΙΛΛΙΟΥ ΚΡΙΣΠΕΙΝΟΥ ΤΟΥ ΗΓΗΣΑΜΕΝΟΥ ΚΑΙ ΕΠΙΔΗΜΗΣΑΣΑΙΣ ΟΥΗΞΙΛΛΑΤΙΟΣΙΝ ΑΓΟΡΑΝΟΜΗΣΑΝΤΑΤΕ ΚΑΙ ΟΥΚΟΝΙΣΩΝΑ ΦΕΙΔΗΣΑΝΤΑ ΧΡΗΜΑΤΩΝ ΚΑΙ ΚΑΛΩΣ ΠΟΛΕΙΤΕΥΣΑΜΕΝΟΝ ΩΣ ΔΙΑ ΤΑΥΤΑ ΜΑΡΤΥΡΗΘΕΝΤΑ ΥΠΟ ΘΕΟΥ ΙΑΡΙΒΩΛΟΥ ΚΑΙ ΥΠΟ ΙΟΥΛΙΟΥ ....... ΤΟΥ ΕΞΟΧΩΤΑΤΟΥ ΕΠΑΡΧΟΥ ΤΟΥ ΙΕΡΟΥ ΠΡΑΙΤΩΡΙΟΥ ΚΑΙ ΤΗΣ ΠΑΤΡΙΔΟΣ ΤΟΝ ΦΙΛΟΠΑΤΡΙΝ ΤΕΙΜΗΣ ΧΑΡΙΝ ΕΤΟΥΣ ΔΝΦ.
This is as perfect an Inscription as any I met with, by the help of which we may make a Judgment of all the rest; at least thus far, that they were put up in Memory of some, who had behaved themselves, in those publick Offices they bore, either in their own Republick, or under the Romans, with Commendation; this being a Publick Place, where their Names and worthy Actions were Recorded and Transmitted to Posterity. What I further observed particularly in this, was the want of the Name after ΙΟΥΛΙΟΥ, and took notice of the like space vacant in the other Language under it; and in both places it seemed to be not worn out with Time, but voluntarily scratch'd out. Which confirms me in the Opinion that they are both one, and that the unknown was the Vulgar, as the Greek was the learned Language of the Place. Upon another Pillar in the same Walk was this.
ΣΕΠΤΙΜΙΟΝ ΟΥΟΡΩΔΗΝ ΤΟΝ ΚΡΑΤΙΣΤΟΝ ΕΠΙΤΡΟΠΟΝ ΣΕΒΑΣΤΟΥ ΔΟΥΚΗΝΑΡΙΟΝ ΚΑΙ ΑΡΟΑΠΕΤΗΝ ΙΟΥΛΙΟΣ ΑΥΡΗΛΙΟΣ ΕΑΛΜΗΣ ΚΑΣΣΙΑΝΟΥ ΤΟΥ Μ(Ε)ΛΕΝΑΙΟΥ ΙΠΠΕΥΣ ΡΩΜΑΙΩΝ ΤΟΝ ΦΙΛΟΝ ΚΑΙ ΠΡΟΣΤΑΤΗΝ ΕΤΟΥΣ Η Ο Φ ... ΜΗΝΕΙ (Ξ)ΑΝΔΙΚΩ.