Temple of Baal

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The temple of Baal
The Sacrifice of Konon, wall painting in the Temple of Baal

The Temple of Baal , also known as the Temple of the Palmyrene Deities , is located in Dura Europos (a Syrian city on the Euphrates ). Although the modern names suggest otherwise, it is uncertain which deities were worshiped here. The temple, which was founded in the first century BC, is primarily known to scholars for its wall paintings. The temple was dedicated to Alexander Severus under Roman rule . At this time the temple was located within the camp of the XX. Palmyrene Cohort .

The temple's paintings were discovered by MC Murphy in 1920. Photos of it were then sent to the archaeologist James Henry Breasted , who examined the paintings and the temple and published a monograph on them in 1924 . Before this discovery, the location was unknown. The identification with the Dura Europos known from ancient sources took place later. The discovery of wall paintings in the temple attracted some attention at the time, and an article was even published in the New York Times on June 10, 1922. The newspaper noted that the frescoes are intended to represent a step between decadent Oriental-Hellenistic art on the one hand and Byzantine art on the other.

The temple is attached to the city wall in the northwest of the city. The north and west walls of the temple form the city wall. At least three construction phases can be distinguished. The Holy of Holies is in the west. The first construction phase involved a wide room and an anteroom was added in the second construction phase. In front of the sanctuary is a courtyard, around which there are various rooms whose function is not always certain. The main entrance to the temple is on the east side, slightly offset from the Holy of Holies.

The temple is mainly known in art history for its wall paintings. Dura Europos has a relatively large number of well-preserved murals, many of which date back to when the city was under Roman rule. The paintings in the Holy of Holies, known as the sacrifice of Konon , date from the birth of Christ, when the city was under Parthian rule. They were very well preserved when they were found, but the colors have faded a lot today. The paintings were removed from the wall and are now in the Damascus National Museum . The strong frontality of the figures is typical of these pictures. The colors were once bright. The artists paid particular attention to the faces, and it gives the impression that these are real portraits. The figures are identified with inscriptions. This allows the family of Konon, who is the main character, to be traced over several generations.

Another important wall painting is the sacrifice of Julius Terentius . The painting dates from under Roman rule and shows Julius Terentius, who was the Roman tribune of the garrison in Dura Europos. Julius Terentius occupies the center of the scene. In front of him are an altar and statues of three deities. The deities were initially identified as the Palmyrenean gods Jarchibol , Aglibol and Malakbel , giving the temple the name Temple of the Palmyrenean Deities. The more recent research sees them as the statues of Roman emperors, which is a representation of the imperial cult . Two female deities are depicted below the statues. It is all about Tyche . They refer to the inscriptions as Tyche by Dura and Tyche by Palmyra .

Coordinates: 34 ° 45 ′ 3.3 "  N , 40 ° 43 ′ 32.5"  E

Individual evidence

  1. ↑ James Henry Breasted: Oriental Forerunners of Byzantine Painting: First-Century Wall Paintings from the Fortress of Dura on the Middle Euphrates. (= University of Chicago Oriental Institute Publications. Volume 1). Chicago 1924, OCLC 886650055 . (on-line)
  2. ↑ JA Baird: Dura Europos. Bloomsbury Academic, London 2018, ISBN 978-1-4725-3087-5 , pp. 3–5.
  3. ↑ JA Baird: Dura Europos. 2018, p. 101.
  4. ↑ Lucinda Dirven: The Problem of Parthian Art at Dura. In: Ted Kaizer (Ed.): Religion, Society and Culture at Dura-Europos. Cambridge University Press, Cambridge / New York / Melbourne / Delhi / Singapore 2016, ISBN 978-1-107-12379-3 , pp. 68–88, especially 81–82
  5. ^ JH Breasted: Wall Paintings from the Fortress of Dura. 1924, pp. 85-86.
  6. ^ Christian Marta Acqua: Imperial Representation at Dura-Europos. In: Ted Kaizer (Ed.): Religion, Society and Culture at Dura-Europos. Cambridge University Press, Cambridge / New York / Melbourne / Delhi / Singapore 2016, ISBN 978-1-107-12379-3 , pp. 144–176, especially 153–154
  7. ^ JH Breasted: Wall Paintings from the Fortress of Dura. 1924, p. 98.