1951

G. H. McFadden,

8th January, 1951Dear Mr. Seyrig,

Many thanks for your note of December 31st. The report I sent you was for popular consumption as you doubtless realized. I am not yet sure about the main purpose of the South Building. It may well have served more than one purpose. I am almost certain, however, that the so called Temple A was a temple - first a single one before the earthquake of 76-77 A.D, which appears to have brought down all the buildings then standing. There was a building on the present site of the South Building. It is clear on internal evidence that this was destroyed by earthquake. We know from the building inscription of the new South Building that the Emperor Trajan built the last two rooms of the building. Ταῦ (Ta) ... to Apollo Hylates. It is clear that the new cult of Apollo Caesar was already in existance by then. My own opinion is that the Emperors contributed funds after the destruction of the site for its restoration and that the people in gratitude established the new official cult and added on to the main temple another nave for Apollo Caesar during the restoration of the destroyed temple. The inscription thus explains the double temple. As you noted, the plan is essentially the same as that of the South Building. A new Southeast Building containing a series of rooms around a colonnaded interior court has produced two rooms with the same plan. They explain in my own opinion at least one of the purposes of such a plan. The raised floors behind the stylobate were ideal for setting up dedications. It is certain that one of these rooms with this same plan was for such dedications. Were other rooms with the same plan used for the same purpose? If the main temple of the sanctuary is not "Temple A", then where is Apollo's main temple. We possess no suitable candidate. Another question which must be answered is.' Can a banqueting room be described as an exedra. I have not yet looked into this question.

There is a chance that I may visit Beirut this year and if so I will let you know in advance in the hope that I may be able to come at a time that you are there.

GHMcF/cp

Handwritten: Professor Seyrig, Institut Francais d'Archeologie, de Beyrouth