Temple of Bacchus at Baalbek

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Temple of Bacchus at Baalbek
c. AD 150

• Workbook p.80 -
• E Paul Artus p. 91
• A Paul Artus p.

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gt fill in your workbooks p. 80

• Location background to the area The temple is
  next to a sacred sanctuary for Jupiter
  Heliopolitanus (Helipolis sun city was the
  Greek name for Baalbek). It is located, the town
  called Baalbek (modern day Lebanon).
• Meaning of name Temple dedicated to the god,
  Bacchus/Dionysus. This can be seen through the
  decorations surrounding the entrance which shows
  scenes of the gods birth and life. For the cult
  of Bacchus.
• Architectural type Religious Architecture
• Purpose Temple for Bacchus. The size of the
  temple and the nearby complex, is designed to
  give the Semetic (Lebanese Middle Eastern)
  citizens of this Roman province of Syria, the
  feeling of the grandeur of Rome and o the emperor
  and pride in their own province.
• Dates of construction Began in 150AD and
  finished in 250AD
• Dimensions The temple is of a great size, an
  eastern feature, 66m long, 35m wide and 31m high.
  The temple stands on a high podium 5m tall
  larger than that of the Maison Caree. The cella
  door is 6.3m wide and 12.6 m tall, with its
  interior width equal to its interior height.

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Plan of the temple of Bacchus
c
b
d
e
a

• P.79 in your workbooks
• Write in the code below the diagram
• a peripteral colonnade
• b prostyle porch
• c doors to cella
• d cella
• e cult statue

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• Side walls of the cella project out to form
  antae in the front and there is a deep
  prostyle porch where the porch columns are in
  front of the projecting ends of the cella.
• Unfluted Corinthian columns are used for the
  colonnade and the front row of the porch, while
  the interior columns of the porch are fluted and
  smaller than the exterior columns.

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• It has a colonnade on all 4 sides (peripteral).
  This is made up of 8 free-standing, columns
  (octastyle) at the front back 15 on each long
  side.
• The statue was not in the cella like most
  temples, but within another structure called an
  adyton (an eastern feature), a very elaborate
  canopy in marble.

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Sculptural features

• Has a vaulted ceiling 2 towers with steps (an
  Eastern feature) on either side of the doorway
• The western end opposite the doorway had a
  stairway of 9 nine steps, the full width of the
  cella.
• The Inner raised podium had a central set of
  steps flanked by piers with 2 engaged corinthian
  columns. This central set of 6 steps lead to
  another podium where the statue of the god was in
  its shrine.
• On the exterior, Surrounding entrance to the
  cella is 2 bands of elaborate pattering a vine
  motif (grape or ivy) represents Dionysus.
• - Acanthus leaves that sprout ears of wheat
  representing fertility and rebirth

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Decorative features

• The portico ceiling is elaborately carved with
  busts of Mars,
• Ceres, Vulcan, Ganymede and the doorway is
  surrounded by elaborate carving.

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Engaged Corinthian columns and their pilasters
divide the two interior side walls vertically,
and these walls are also divided horizontally
with a bottom row of arched niches carried on
pilasters and an upper row of pedimented niches,
which once held statues.
InteriorThe projecting engaged columns and the
spaces between, on the interior, give a feeling
of movement. The elaborate and deeply carved
decoration produces the effects of light and
shade, reminiscent of Antonine Baroque sculpture.
Decorative features
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Comparing two temples, Maison Caree and Temple of
Bacchus
Similarities between Bacchus Maison Carree Differences between Bacchus Maison Caree
Both have a rectangular shape Both had frontal aspect Both have a podium Both are in a sanctuary Both have corinthian capitals Both have engaged columns Both use local limestone as building material Height of podium is bigger on Bacchus (5m) 3 flights of steps, not one Free-standing exterior columns, not engaged, 2 interior towers, interior raised podium, adyton, baroque style interior decoration
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Influences present in the temple of bacchus
Greek Semetic Roman
Decoration from life of Bacchus Freestanding Peripteral colonnade Corinthian capitals Fluted columns Busts of Ganymede on ceiling of portico On a large scale inner shrine inside cella (adyton) for statue Use of local stone The two towers A high podium A deep entrance porch (prostyle) A frontal aspect