The Society of Dilettanti, one of the many clubs of the British aristocracy, was founded in 1734 in order to facilitate closer contact between its members, who had a special inclination for the arts. As they state in the introduction to one of their editions, after their grand tour in Italy, the future members of the Society wanted to have in their homeland a taste of the objects they had seen, that is, to be able to study Greek and Roman art. Gradually, the Society of Dilettanti promoted, inspired and conducted the most important archaeological missions to Greek lands up until 1846, publishing the findings of these and of other expeditions in monumental tomes. It also contributed to the establishment of European classicism in the eighteenth century and helped the European public acquire a comprehensive picture of ancient Greek architecture. However, the work of the Society, while vital to the progress of the discipline of Archaeology, did not always contribute to the preservation of the antiquities themselves. In an era when antiquarianism was tantamount to looting antiquities, participants in the missions engaged in pillaging ancient remains, with catastrophic consequences for the monuments. The list of the Society’s members that precedes this edition includes well-known travellers and writers, such as the Earl of Sandwich, J. Stuart, N. Revett, J.T. Wood, the Earl of Carlisle and others.

In 1764, the Society sponsored an archaeological mission to the East. The members chosen were Richard Chandler, already known for his work "Marmora Oxoniensia", Nicholas Revett, who had already worked on delineating monuments in Athens, and the promising painter William Pars. The party travelled first to the region of Troy in Asia Minor, at the beginning of June 1764, and after almost fifteen months of touring, studying and drawing, they crossed over from Smyrna to Chios. From there, they sailed to Athens, spending almost a year touring Marathon, Salamis, Eleusis and Megara, till 11 June 1766. They then went by ship to Troezen and from there reached Epidaurus, Argos and Corinth. Afterwards, the party visited Delphi and then came to Patras and Elis. They finally departed from Zacynthos on 31 August and returned to Bristol on 2 November 1766.

The Society of Dilettanti indicated to the mission’s members that in the publication of their findings priority should be given to material from Ionia, because, as they state in the Introduction:
The "Knowledge of Nature" was taught in the Ionic school: And as "Geometry, Astronomy", and other Branches of the "Mathematics", were cultivated here sooner than in other parts of Greece it is not extraordinary that the first "Greek Navigators", who passed the Pillars of Hercules, and extended their "Commerce to the Ocean", should have been Ionians. Here "History" had its birth and here it acquired a considerable degree of Perfection. The first writer who reduced the Knowledge of "Medicine" [...] was from this Region. And here the Father of "Poetry" produced a Standard of Composition which no Age or Country have dared to depart from.[...] But Architecture belongs more particularly to the Country than to any other. [...] As to the other Arts which also depend upon "Design", they have flourished no where more than in Ionia [...].

Thus, this large-format volume includes drawings and delineations from the temple of Dionysus in Teos, homeland of the poet Anacreon, the temple of Athena in Priene and the temple of Apollo in Didyma. An overview of the history of each place precedes the plates, each of which is accompanied by explanatory notes.

Written by Ioli Vingopoulou

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  Temple of Dionysus in Teos. Fig. I: The Base of the Column, with the lower part of the Shaft. Fig. II: The Capital and Architrave, with the upper part of the Shaft of the Columns.Fig. III, A Section through the front of the Capital and Architrave. Fig. IV: A Section through the Profile of the Capital. Fig. V: The Contour of the Volute.

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  Temple of Dionysus in Teos: Fig. Ι: The Cornice of the Temple. Fig. II An Architrave and Frize, of one piece of marble, decorated with a patera and festoons of Laurel, in a Turkish Burying-Ground by a Mosque at Segigeck [Sigacik]. Fig.III: A Section through the Sossit of the Architrave, which has a Compartmen surrounded with an Ovolo laid also flat. Fig. IV: A Pedestal and square Base, of one piece of white marble, near the South Gate at Segizeck [Sigacik].

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  Temple of Athena Polias in Priene: Fig. I: The uppermost Step and Base, with the lower part of the Shaft of the Column. Fig. II: The Capital and Fasciae of the Architrave, with the upper part of the Shaft of the Column.

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  Temple of Athena Polias in Priene: Fig. I: The Cornice of the Temple. Fig. II: A Section through the Cornice of the Pediment, with its Front annexed. Fig.III: A Section through the Architrave of the Temple, with its internal Face. Fig. IV: A Section through one of the Transverse Beams which supported the Lacunaria, with one of its Faces.

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  Temple of Athena Polias in Priene: The Cornices in the foregoing Plate shaded. Fig. I: The Cornice of the Temple. Fig. II: A Section through the Cornice of the Pediment, with its Front annexed. Fig.III: A Section through the Architrave of the Temple, with its internal Face. Fig. IV: A Section through one of the Transverse Beams which supported the Lacunaria, with one of its Faces.

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  Temple of Athena Polias in Priene: Architectural features such as base of column, capital, helix, cymatium and others. Fig. I: A square Base, with the lower part of a Column, found near each other, by the South East angle of the Temple. Fig. II: One of the Fronts of a Square Capital, which has four faces, and a Plinth upon the Abacus. A Section through the Stems of the Volutes, in front of the Capital. Fig. III: The Semi-profile of the same Capital. Fig. IV: A Section through the Cymatium of the Architrave. Fig. V: A Fragment of the Lacunaria...Fig. VI: The Cornice, which belonged to the Peristyle within the Peribolus. Fig.VII: A Section through an Architrave, belonging to the same Entablature as the above Cornice did, and found near it, among the ruins at the front of the Peribolus.

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  Temple of Apollo in Didyma: Fig. I: The uppermost Step, Base, and lower part of the external Columns of the Dipteros. Fig. II: The Capital and Architrave, with the upper part of the Shaft of the Column (shaded drawing).

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  Temple of Apollo in Didyma: Fig. I: The Plan of the Capital…Fig. II: The Profile of the Capital. Fig. III: A Section through the Profile of the Capital. Fig. IV: A Section through the Front of the Capital. Fig. V: The Architrave of the internal Columns of the Diptero with the Frize, which supported the Lacunaria. Fig. VI: The Contour of the Volute, with as many of its Measures as could be collected.

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  Temple of Apollo in Didyma: Fig.I: A Frize, which filled the Spaces between the Capitals of the Pilasters, consisting of a Bass Relied representing Griffins and Lyres… Fig. II: A Corinthian Capital, which belonged to a Semi-column within the Wall which separated the Naos from the Pronaos. Fig. III: A Section through the Front of this Capital. Fig. IV: The width of the bottom of the Abacus, with the depth of its Curve. Fig. V: A Cymatium.

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  Temple of Apollo in Didyma: Fig.I: The Front of the Ionic Capital of a Pilaster, with the upper part of the Shaft. Fig. II: The Profile of the same Capital. Fig. III: A Section through the Front of the Capital. Fig. IV: Another Compartment in the Front of one of these Capitals. (shaded drawing).

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  Temple of Apollo in Didyma: Fig.I: The Front of the Ionic Capital of a Pilaster, with the upper part of the Shaft. Fig. II: The Profile of the same Capital. Fig. III: A Section through the Front of the Capital. Fig. IV: Another Compartment in the Front of one of these Capitals.

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  Temple of Apollo in Didyma: Fig. I: The uppermost Step, Base, and lower part of the external Columns of the Dipteros. Fig. II: The Capital and Architrave, with the upper part of the Shaft of the Column.

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  Temple of Athena Polias in Priene: The Contents of the preceding Plate shaded. Fig. I: A Cornice found at some distance, to the South East from the Peribolus. Fig. II: A Doric Capital and Entablature.Fig. III: The Projecture of the Triglyph from the Naked of the Frize. (shaded drawing)

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  Temple of Athena Polias in Priene: Fig. I: A Cornice found at some distance, to the South East from the Peribolus. Fig. II: A Doric Capital and Entablature.Fig. III: The Projecture of the Triglyph from the Naked of the Frize.

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  Temple of Athena Polias in Priene: Fig. 1: The Entablature of the Temple restored [reconstructed representation], with a Section through the middle, showing its internal face. Fig. 2: The Ornament on the Sima upon a larger Scale… Fig. 3: An Architrave and Cornice, taken from Mr. Wood's measurements of this temple.

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  Temple of Athena Polias in Priene: Fig. I: The uppermost Step and Base, with the lower part of the Shaft of the Column., Fig. II: The Capital and Fasciae of the Architrave, with the upper part of the Shaft of the Column. (shaded drawing).

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  Tail-Piece: The Trunk of Female figure, about as half as big as life, lying in a Turkish Burying-ground on the South side of Segigeck [ Sigacik].

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  View of Segigeck [Sigacik] and the Peninsula of Teos.

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  Elevation of the Front of the Temple of Dionysus in Teos.

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  Capital and base of column from the Temple of Dionysus in Teos, with reconstructive drawing of the entablature.

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  Angular capital from the Temple of Athena Polias in Priene.

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  Head- Piece: The Angular Capital, which was too much mutilated to be measured.

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  Temple of Apollo in Didyma: A Fragment of a Capital upon the heap of Ruins at the North-West Angle of the Temple.

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  Temple of Apollo in Didyma: The Front and Profile of a Capital of the Pilasters.

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  View of the course of the Meander from Miletus.

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  Temple of Apollo in Didyma: View of the End of the Ruin of the Temple from the North-East.

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  Frieze and Corinthian capital in the temple of Apollo in Didyma.

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  Relief from Sigeion.

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  The Temple of Athena Polias in Priene.

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  Capital from the temple of Athena Polias in Priene: Fig. I: The Plan of the Capital…Fig. II: An Elevation of the Profile of the Capital. Fig.III: A Section through the Profile of the Capital. Fig.IV: A Section through the Front of the Capital. Fig. V: The Contour of the Volute… Fig. VI: A Section through the Torus of the Base, in which the Flutings and Profile are distinctly marked.

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  Capital from the temple of Athena Polias in Priene: The Plan, Elevation of the Profile, and Section of the Capital, shaded; Also the Abacus of the Capital and the Section on a larger Scale…Fig. I: The Plan of the Capital…Fig. II: An Elevation of the Profile of the Capital. Fig.III: A Section through the Profile of the Capital. Fig.IV: A Section through the Front of the Capital. Fig. V: The Contour of the Volute… Fig. VI: A Section through the Torus of the Base, in which the Flutings and Profile are distinctly marked.

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  Temple of Apollo in Didyma: The Contents of the foregoing Plate shaded, with a Section through the external Architrave of the Dipteros, also its internal Face and that of the Frize annexed. Fig. I: The Plan of the Capital…Fig. II: The Profile of the Capital. Fig. III: A Section through the Profile of the Capital. Fig. IV: A Section through the Front of the Capital. Fig. V: The Architrave of the internal Columns of the Diptero with the Frize, which supported the Lacunaria. Fig. VI: The Contour of the Volute, with as many of its Measures as could be collected.

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  Ruins of the Temple of Dionysus in Teos.

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  Temple of Athena Polias in Priene: Architectural features such as base of column, capital, helix, cymatium and others, (shaded drawing). Fig. I: A square Base, with the lower part of a Column, found near each other, by the South East angle of the Temple. Fig. II: One of the Fronts of a Square Capital, which has four faces, and a Plinth upon the Abacus. A Section through the Stems of the Volutes, in front of the Capital. Fig. III: The Semi-profile of the same Capital. Fig. IV: A Section through the Cymatium of the Architrave. Fig. V: A Fragment of the Lacunaria...Fig. VI: The Cornice, which belonged to the Peristyle within the Peribolus. Fig.VII: A Section through an Architrave, belonging to the same Entablature as the above Cornice did, and found near it, among the ruins at the front of the Peribolus.

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  Temple of Dionysus in Teos: The Contents of the preceding Plate shaded: Fig. Ι: The Cornice of the Temple. Fig. II An Architrave and Frize, of one piece of marble, decorated with a patera and festoons of Laurel, in a Turkish Burying-Ground by a Mosque at Segigeck [Sigacik]. Fig.III: A Section through the Sossit of the Architrave, which has a Compartmen surrounded with an Ovolo laid also flat. Fig. IV: A Pedestal and square Base, of one piece of white marble, near the South Gate at Segizeck [Sigacik].

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  Title page.

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  Relief from the bazaar of Chios.