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of boxes occupies the place of the middle seats, and at the top of
all there is a third tier of boxes excavated in the rocky side of the
hill, upon the declivity of which the theatre is built. On both
wings of thetheatre are vaults. In front was a colonnade, of which
eight Corinthian columns yet remain, besides four fragments of
shafts; they are about fifteen feet high, surmounted by an entablature ¬
still entire. This colonnade must have had at least fifty columns; ¬
the workmanship is not of the best Roman times. Near
this theatre is a building (h), the details of which I was not able to
make out exactly ; its front is built irregularly, without columns, or
ornaments of any kind. On entering I found a semi-circular area,
enclosed by a high wall in which narrow steps were formed, running ¬
all round from bottom to top. The inside of the front wall,
as well as the round wall of the area, is richly ornamented with
sculptured ornaments. The roof, which once covered the whole
building, has fallen down, and choaks up the interior in such a
way as to render it difficult to determine whether the edifice has
been a palace, or destined for public amusements. Nearly opposite ¬
the theatre, to the northward of the river, are the remains
of a temple (k), the posterior wall of which only remains, having
an entablature, and several niches highly adorned with sculpture. -
Before this building stand the shafts of several columns
three feet in diameter. Its date appears to be anterior to that of
all the other buildings of Amman, and its style of architecture is
much superior. At some distance farther down the Wady, stand a
few small columns (i), probably the remains of a temple. The
plain between the river and the northern hills is covered with
ruins of private buildings, extending from the church (c) down
to the columns (i); but nothing of them remains, except the foundations ¬
and some of the door posts. On the top of the highest of
the northern hills stands the castle of Amman, a very extensive
