THE TEMPLE OF VENUS.
My journey terminated for the present at the house of the Bishop of
Baffo, who resides in Ktima. The bishop, who is a young and stately
man, received me with the greatest kindness and affability. He at once
conducted me to a luxurious apartment, where we seated ourselves upon
soft cushions placed on a costly Turkey carpet, and my host resumed the
ten feet long chibouk, filled with choice tobacco, he had been smoking
when I was announced, and courteously offered another to me. It was
quite evident the worthy bishop was a man of substance, and thoroughly
enjoyed the good things of this life. From the roof of the house I
obtained a magnificent view of the sea and neighbouring coast.
The Temple of Venus, formerly the great object of interest on this
coast, was situated on a small hill at a distance of about twenty
minutes’ walk from the sea. Some parts of its colossal walls are still
standing, defying time and the stone-cutter, although badly chipped
by the latter. The stones, of which these walls are built, are most
gigantic, one of them being fifteen feet ten inches in length, by seven
feet eleven inches in width, and two feet five inches in thickness.
Strange to say, the stone was not quarried in Cyprus, but is a kind
of blue granite which must have been imported from either Cilicia, or
Egypt. This temple, as rebuilt by Vespasian, seems to have occupied
the same area as the former one, and was surrounded by a peribolos, or
outer wall. Of this wall, a few huge blocks are now only extant. On the
west of this outer wall there was a gateway, still plainly visible; its
width was seventeen feet nine inches: the two sockets for the pivots
on which the doors swung are of the following dimensions—length six
inches, width four and a half inches, depth three and a half inches.
The south-east wall was excavated, and its whole length ascertained to
be 690 feet. The length of the west side was only traced as far as 272
feet, as the modern houses of Kuklia were erected above it; the length
of the other two sides were also for the same reason not ascertained.
The walls of the temple itself, which are constructed of the same kind
of blue granite, but not in such huge blocks, were only traced with
much difficulty, and although very little is to be seen above the
surface, yet strange to say, the four corner-stones are still standing.
The north-east corner-stone forms part of the wall of a house in
Kuklia, while the north-west corner stone stands in a cross street
of the village by itself; the south-east corner-stone stands also by
itself in an open field, where the Christian population of Kuklia
burn lamps and little wax candles, but in honour of whom, or for what
purpose, is uncertain. The south-west corner-stone, likewise, forms
part of a modern dwelling-house.
The temple was oblong, and of the following dimensions: the eastern and
western walls measured 221 feet, and the two other sides 167 feet.
The north-west corner-stone has a hole in it thirteen inches in
diameter, and a similar hole also exists in the south-west corner of
the outer wall. As this temple possessed an oracle, it is more than
probable that the use of these strange holes was connected with it.
If a person stands upon one of these huge perforated stones, he can
produce a clear and fine echo of a sentence of three or four words, if
pronounced in a distinct but moderate tone of voice.
Abundant indications of mosaic pavement, both in the area of the
temple and in the court-yard, exist, where can be found, many prettily
designed pieces of various colours—yellow, white, red, rose-colour, and
brown. About three feet beneath these mosaics, were also found several
large pedestals of colossal statues, bearing Greek inscriptions, and
many other pedestals were lying about, possibly having been left by
former excavators; most of those, which Cesnola discovered under the
mosaics, were of the same kind of stone as that of which the walls of
the temple were built, but of a finer grain. The inscriptions were
of the Ptolemaic period, from which it is probable that Vespasian
only repaired the Temple of Paphos, or if he rebuilt it entirely, it
was with the former stones. The foundations are only six and a half
feet deep, but upon having other borings made another foundation
was discovered beneath, but evidently of an earlier period and very
massive. Singular to say, in boring no sculptured remains were found,
and but few fragments of pottery.[8]
Tacitus gives us the following representation of the sacrificial rites
employed in this temple.
“The victims to be sacrificed must be carefully selected, males only
being chosen. The safest auguries are obtained from the entrails of
goats. It is forbidden to sprinkle blood upon the floor of the temple,
and the altar must be purified with prayer and fire. The image of
the goddess is not in human shape, but is a rounded stone tapering
upwards like a cone. Why such a shape should be adopted is not clearly
explained.” At that time, therefore, the worship of this goddess was
shrouded in mysterious secrecy. The people only knew that it had been
handed down to them from very ancient times. The only answer they
received to their inquiries, why it was so, being, “It is a mystery.”
We learn from other sources, that this cone-shaped stone, erected in
the innermost sanctuary of the temple, was black. Upon the festivals of
the great goddess the stone was carefully washed by the priestesses,
and wiped dry with clean towels; possibly its ugliness was set off by
golden ornaments and jewels. In the darkness surrounding the Cyprian
deity, other mysteries were concealed, admission to which was doubtless
only obtainable at a high price. Three ruined walls and a few fragments
of an ancient building; scattered here and there over great heaps of
rubbish, are all that remain of what once was Paphos. The stones of
which it was built, have disappeared long ages ago, used probably, as
materials wherewith to build the lordly castles of the Middle Ages, or
broken in pieces for the construction of humbler edifices.
During the period that the island was occupied by the Franks, a
new city sprang up upon the site of ancient Paphos, which has also
disappeared; but of this a ruined church, now used as a cattle-shed,
is all that remains. Still, melancholy as is the present condition of
the spot, so suggestive are the general features of the locality, that
it is not difficult to reconstruct the beautiful landscape it once
presented. The temple was situated upon a broad eminence which sloped
gently towards the sea, which formed, as it were, a border to the
picture. The slope was all covered with luxuriant vegetation.
Towards the interior of the country are a few outlying hills, backed
by picturesque mountain scenery of a much grander character than at
Baffo. As I looked upon them, the sky became overcast, and the sea
overspread by long masses of rain clouds, through which at intervals
streamed the rays of the western sun, which, falling on the water,
covered its surface with gleams of dazzling brightness. Some portions
of the lovely scene seemed bathed in gold, only made more conspicuous
by the darker tints of deepest blue and purple. The play of light and
shade was continually changing, forming altogether a scene of tranquil
loveliness not easily to be forgotten. I should not like, however,
to live here alone. Every place to which the reputation of antiquity
attaches itself, has its guide and dealer in curiosities, although he
knows no more about them than the crows know about Sunday. The man who
accompanied me in my explorations came, as he said, from Mitylene, and
was educated enough to be able to quote the poems and rhapsodies of
Sappho. The owner of a neighbouring farm, here made his appearance, a
stately Turk, in frock-coat and boots, with a head of hair like that
of a plough-boy. We went together, about a quarter of an hour’s walk,
to see the “Queen’s Cave” (σπήλαιον τῆς ῥηγίνας) which was
upon his estate. This gentleman informed me, that until about ten years
previously it had been almost entirely filled up, but, that when the
French came to explore, he had had it opened. Nothing, however, was
found in it except a great stone slab, about five feet square, which
was leaning against one of the walls, and was covered with inscriptions
on both sides. The Frenchmen, after a great deal of trouble, succeeded
in getting it out. It was, however, so heavy that they broke it to
pieces, before taking it with them in their boat. Cesnola tells us
that on descending into the cave he found that it consisted of four
chambers, or tombs excavated one behind the other in the solid rock.
Each of the two first contained four graves; the third had fewer, and
in the last and smallest, there were none. “We found,” he continues,
“several other tombs upon the side of the hill, some of them open and
some of them filled up. My guide told me that before his time they
had been thoroughly ransacked, and their contents, which consisted of
several gold chains and sundry earthenware vessels, were taken away.
There were also remains of buildings upon the highest point of the
hill, around the foundations of which considerable excavations had been
made, revealing, that the edifice had been a square tower, one side of
which had been cleared of rubbish, but the hoped-for treasures, which
had been the incentive to all this labour, had not been forthcoming.
The tower seems to have nothing in common with the other building, and
appears to have been simply a watch-tower used in former times to give
warning of the approach of pirates.”
With still increasing pleasure, I continued to gaze upon the vernal
landscape in which all the great historical features of the place were
distinctly traceable, and I would willingly have lingered longer upon
this enchanting spot, had I not been recalled to more practical matters
by my landlord, who summoned me to table, where I was soon enjoying
a meal consisting of excellent soup, fresh eggs, maccaroni, and bean
salad, together with some exceedingly good wine.
After dinner the landlord took a seat beside us upon the terraced roof
of the house, and we enjoyed a most delightful evening. Close to us,
in a neighbouring court-yard, sat a Turkish family, who laughed and
joked apparently in high spirits. Our hostess was still quite a young
girl, and very pretty, her large flashing eyes, white glistening teeth,
and delicately-shaped limbs, formed quite a picture. At first, when
spoken to, she seemed embarrassed and bashful, and only giggled, but as
conversation went on she became more companionable, seated herself upon
the doorstep, and chattered away merrily. It is a pity that in these
Eastern climes female beauty is so evanescent; even before girlhood is
passed, their charms have disappeared, leaving nothing behind but a
tawny skeleton.
The night was delightful, the air balmy and soft, and each breath of
wind seemed to bring with it the perfume of a thousand flowers. The
silver stars so sparkled and flashed in the clearness of the atmosphere
that they seemed to have descended towards the earth.
Owing to the warmth of the night the door of my apartment was open, and
as I lay in bed contemplating the dark blue sky, I could fancy that my
vision penetrated beyond the stars into the depths of the firmament.
My mind was so filled with reflections on the worship of the Cyprian
goddess that I could not sleep. Scenes that I, not long before, had
witnessed in Egypt, during the feast of Machmal, presented themselves
vividly to my mind. According to ancient custom, the ruler of Cairo
sends every year a valuable piece of cloth, in which to wrap the holy
stone, the Caaba. The setting out of the great caravan which bears
this cloth to its destination is celebrated by a general festival,
during the continuance of which the fanaticism of the Mohammedans fully
displays itself. It was impossible to think of the great black meteoric
stone and the ceremonies connected with it, without being forcibly
reminded of the cone-shaped stone worshipped with similar rites by the
Paphian priesthood. The Caaba stands surrounded by a wall, exactly as
did the Cyprian idol: even the doves of Venus are not wanting in the
temple court of the Caaba, where they are regarded as sacred birds. In
the sanctuary of Jupiter Ammon, in the Lybian Desert, the idol was a
stone of a conical shape, ornamented with emeralds and other jewels.
In the temple at Delphos a similar stone was worshipped, was daily
anointed with oil, and on high festivals was wrapped in white wool. In
the same manner we find that in ancient temples, more especially in
Syria and Asia Minor, Bethylia were worshipped; sacred stones, whose
name, derived from Bethel (the place of God), indicates their Semitic
origin; these stones were all meteoric, and it is natural enough that
when such masses have fallen amid thunder and lightning, they should
be believed to be of heavenly origin, and to possess extraordinary
attributes.