BSY_FB_17-61

61

Kaisariyeh. North east of the Zeus temple stands
the ruins of a large, highly articulated structure
which deVogüé published - It bears distinct
traces of no less than three periods and seems
to have been twice converted - The first period
corresponds to that of the sacred period at Sîʿ -
presumably the first century - the building
at this time was doubtless a Nabataean temple
of this few fragments remain. The next period
belongs probably to the second century when
the temple was rebuilt and greatly extended
by the addition of [corbels] and colonnades to serve
as a civil basilica or a gubernatorial palace.

At the second conversion the building was
made over for a christian church - all of
this is well illustrated in deVogüés drawings.

The other buildings of Ḳanawât are
completely ruined many having been broken up to
provide material for the building of the modern
town. The general upturning of the red
fragments have disclosed a number of new
inscriptions which none copied by Prentice.
Many published insr's have disappeared.