Butler: Diary of Third Expedition to Syria, 1909

Boṣra April 1-3, 1909

plan, Boṣra

elevation, Boṣra

At Boṣra we stopped over one day. A few new inscriptions were copied and took a photograph of the east side of the West Gate.

I was also able during this visit to get into the Great East Room of the chief baths. The room with a dome still in place. This was full of [tibben] on the occasion of our former visit. The vault is cloistered vault and appears to have had a rectangular opening at the top. West of the N. Baths two rooms of a small bath, has recently been excavated.

elevation, details of Voussoir found in New Temple

Sî‘ April 4-5, 1909

Our camp was pitched at Ḳanawât, and while Barnes made careful measurements of the details of the Temple of Zeus at Ḳanawât, the rest of us went up to Sî‘ for further excavation.

The work of the stone breakers of Suwêdā had progressed during 4 years and a fine altar with inscs. in [Nab|Nabataean] and GK. had just been turned out and split in two. Our excavations brought to light a tablet with a bilingual insc that was set against the podium of the new temple to the right of the middle. No further fragments of the insc of the new temple were found; but I discerned a missive that probably belonged to an arch between the two columns of the new temple, and we found also a relief that belonged in the left wall of the anta.

I further measured a few fragments of the Roman gate to the East of the series of courts.

Sî‘

Altar found in front of New Temple, Sî‘

elevation, Old fragment of Dushera Statue, Sî‘

Stone with Relief .58 x .72

Old frag. of Dushera Statue .83 high

Sî‘ April 4-5, 1909

The Nabataean altar found in front of the temple was split from top to bottom; but the important face, preserving the Nab. insc. the garland and the lions' heads, was quite perfectly preserved.

I made arrangements with the Druse Abu Nejib who took the head of Ba‘al Shaûm to Damascas four years ago to take this 1/2 altar and the relief to the Am. Consul at Damascas to be kept for me to carry to Constantinople for the Museum.

The relief was found in front of the East arches of the new temple, and probably was part of a frieze between the half column and the corner pilaster.

It represents a youth with Phrygian cap riding a bull and stabbing the bull with a knife.

See Photos of this and of altar.