Palmyra,(ancient Tadmor) a stop on the Silk Road caravan route, lies within the Tadmorean desert, 215 Km northeast of the Syrian capital Damascus. The city with its unique amalgam of Hellenic and Roman cultural influences prospered during the 2nd and 3rd centuries CE.
Palmyra Syria
Although Palmyra offers considerable scope for historical research within a number of temples, Christian churches and Roman buildings, for many the Temple of Bel stands proudly at the top of their ‘to do’ lists.
The Temple of Bel
The Temple of Bel, originally dedicated in 32 CE, is surrounded by a large outer wall (Temanose) which protected the inner sanctuary (cella) and its sacrificial alter.
The cella, encircled by a columned porch, is divided into two chambers, both adorned with carved monolithic ceilings. The northern one displays seven planets surrounded by the 12 signs of the zodiac together with a procession of camels and veiled woman.
Amott (Brigham Young University) says that the architectural features found in Bell mirrored those found in other Mesopotamian and Semitic shrines. Drawing from the work of Degeorge and Vaughan he argues that many scholars believe that the work of Hellenistic architect Hermonges added to much of Bel’s character.
The God Bel
The people of Palmyra thought of Bel, whose origins may have lain with the ancient Babylonian god Tammuz, as the ruler of the heavens and god of fertility.
Holm (University of Pennsylvania) argues that Kaizer, (The Religious Life of Palmyra) is: “Sympathetic to the idea that there was a so-call ‘triad of Bell’ which included the supreme god Bel along with two attendants Yarhibol and Aglibol,” gods of the sun and moon.
Of course the Temple of Bel provided a religious focus for Palmyrenes but it was also important as a civic meeting place, which allowed the people to come together to discuss the important issues of the day.
Baranski echoed much of what Amott had to say on the combination of Hellenistic and Roman influence. As both an architect and archaeologist his paper the: “Re-discovery of Palmyra” allows an insight into not only the aesthetic value of the building but also examines the method of construction.
He discusses the movement from the 2nd century B.C.E. mud brick building method in Palmyra to the “roughly dressed stone” of the following century. He argues the opening of a new hard white limestone quarry was crucial in the evolution of the construction process and cites the Temple of Bel as an example of its use.
Near East Civilisation
Of course the Temple doesn’t stand in isolation it was simply one element in the lives of what was an evolving Near East civilisation. Many other artefacts: statues, inscriptions, and funerary art, which can be found in Palmyra’s museum, bear witness to the dress, language and culture of Palmyrenes through the centuries.
Sources:
Syrian embassy in the US
The British Museum, citing M Colledge, Limestone funerary portrait of a priest,
Marek Baranski, Re-discovery of Palmyra, PKZ Zamek Warsaw
David Amott, citing various sources, Text panels for the Museum of Archaeology, Palmyra Syria, Brigham Young University, 2003
Ted Kaizer, The Religious Life of Palmyra, Franz Steiner page 305, 2002, reviewed by L Holm University of Pennsylvania
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