**'Caefar Auguftus Vefpafian, feven times conful, fon of the em-
r‘ peror the god Vefpafian; and to the people. Nicoftratus
“ the younger, fon of Lycius, ion erf Nicoftratus, dedicated
..................at his own expenfe; Nicoftratus..................his
“ heir having completed what -remained of the work, and
*s Marcus Ulpius T.rajanus the proconful having confecrated it.”
The feventh confulate of Vefpafian falls ion the feventy ninth year
of the Chriftian xra, and the confulthip of Trajan on the eighty
lecond. Twelve years were confumed in perfedting the ftrudture.
By another ruin is a pedeftal with an infcription, which will
illuftrate that on the arch. It relates to the fame family, and to
the two benefadtors. “ The fenate and people have honoured
" Tatia daughter of Nicoftratus fon of Pericles, a new heroine,
“ "both on account of the magiftracies and miniftries and public
•* works of her father, and on account of her great uncle Nico-
" ftratus, who lately, befldes his other benefactions, was prieft
“ of the city, and changed the ftadium into an amphitheatre-—- ”
The city increafing, the ftadium, it Ihould feem, was not fuffi-
ciently capacious, but Nicoftratus enlarged or lengthened it, and
converted it into an amphitheatre, like that at Nyfa. A ftrudture
of fo vaft a circumference, when filled with the Laodiceans fitting
in rows, muft itfelf have been a very glorious and ftriking fpec-
tacle.
O n the north fide o f the amphitheatre toward the eaft end,
is the rum erf a moll ample edifice. It ccmfifts of many piers and
arches of fton-e, with pedeftals and marble fragments. At the
weft end lies a large ft one with an infcription ; the cky or people
" has ereCted Afed, a man o f fanCtrty and piety, and recorder
“ for Kfe; on -account of his fervices to his country.” This fabric
was perhaps the repository of the laws, and -contained the
fcnate-hcfufe, the money-exchange, and public offices. It has been
remarked, that the waters o f Laodicea, though drinkable, had
a petrifying quality; and at the eaft end of this ruin is a mafs o f
incruftation
incruftation formed by the current, which was conveyed to it in
earthen pipes.
P rom this ruin, you fee the Odeum, which fronted fouth-
ward. The feats remain in the fide of the hill. The profeeniurrv
lies in a confuted heap. The whole was of marble. Sculpture
had been, lavifhed on it, and the ftyle favoured lefs of Grecian
tafte than-Raman magnificence;
Beyond the Odeum are fome marble arches Handing, with*
pieces of maffive wall, the ruin, as we conjeClured, of a gym-
nafium. This fabric, with one at a ftnall diftance, appeared fo
have been re-edified, probably after an earthquake, to which
calamity Laodicea was remarkably fubjeCt. W eft ward from it
ace: three, marble arches eroding, a dry valley, as a bridge. Many
traces of the city-wall may be feen, with; broken columns andi
pieces of marble ufed in its: later repairs. Within, the whole fur-
face is ftrewed with pedeftals and fragments. The luxury of the
citizens may be inferred from their fumptuous buildings, and
from two capacious theatres in the fide óf the hill, fronting,
northward, and weft ward ;; each with its feats, rifing. in numerous-
rows one above, another; The: travellers in 1705 found a maimed
ftatue:at:the entrance of the former, and on one of the feats; the
word: s h s q s o .s . O f Zeno. Beneath-the hill on the north are:
ftone iarcophagi, broken, fubverted, or funk in. the ground,
T h e" two ft reams, which' united5 by our tent were the Lycus
and the Caprus. The Lycus flows from a mountain called Cadmus;
above Laodicea or to the eaft. It is feeil in the plain,
north of the hill, and5 was now ftiallow and about two yards
over. After its junction with the Capras, on the north-weft, it
becomes; a fizeable river. The Caprus'1 defeends on the weft;
' t Galled Gimnïfltioi.' The-rivuta wathmg thfe eaftern fide ofthe hill; called
Hofolous. The Lycus, which flows not far off in the plain beneath;. caHed Diqk-
bounar, P u en in u
F f 2 through
1