William Wilkins (1778-1839) was a British architect and scholar. He was a draughtsman at the National Gallery of London and studied at Cambridge. After winning a prize he was able to tour Greece, Asia Minor and Magna Graecia in Southern Italy (1801-1804), in the company of Italian artist and landscape painter Agostino Aglio who was in charge of drawing the monuments during the journey. Wilkins published several works on Gothic and classical architecture and is considered one of the leading figures of the English Greek Revival movement on the early 19th century. From 1804 onwards he designed at least thirty-seven well-known colleges and public buildings in Britain, in neoclassical style. He became a member of the Society of the Dilettanti in 1817. Wilkins was appointed offical architect to the East India Company in 1827 and became a professor at the Royal Academy of Art in 1837. He published numerous treatises on architecture throughout his life.

The present edition opens with an introduction on architecture, based on Vitruvius' work. There follows a commentary on Solomon's temple and a historical overview of ancient Greek cities in Sicily. The drawings and maps are accompanied by annotations on monuments shown on the map. Although Wilkins' drawings are not as thorough and meticulous as those found in J. Stuart and Nicholas Revett's editions, this works remains essential to the study of ancient monuments of Magna Graecia.

Written by Ioli Vingopoulou

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  Plan of the Temple of Artemis in Ephesus, Turkey.

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  Imaginary representation of the pronaos, cella and adyton of the Temple of Solomon in Jerusalem. For this representation, the author claims to have been inspired by the Second Temple of Hera in Paestum in Italy. With dotted lines, however, the differences between these two temples are shown.

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  Plan of Temple E, probably dedicated to Hera, in Selinunte, Sicily.

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  Vie of the Cathedral in Syracuse, Italy. This Cathedral was built upon the ancient Temple of Athena.

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  The ruins of the Temple of Zeus in Syracuse, Sicily.

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  The fountain Cyane, close to the Temple of Zeus in Syracuse, Sicily.

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  Temple of Olympian Zeus in Agrigento, Sicily: Representation of the entablature and capital at the corner. Section plan of triglyph. Plan of triglyph. Drawing of column.

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  View of the ruins of the Temple of Castor and Pollux (Temple of Dioscouri) in Agrigento, Sicily.

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  Plan of the Doric Temple in Segesta, Sicily.

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  View of the Temple of Hera (on the left) and the Temple of Athena (on the right) in Paestum, Italy.

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  Section plan of the Second Temple of Hera in Paestum, Italy

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  Second Temple of Hera in Paestum, Italy: Drawing of stylobate, column, capital of the column and part of the entablature of the outer peristyle. Section plan of the entablature of the outer peristyle. Plan of the triglyph of the outer peristyle.

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  Second Temple of Hera in Paestum, Italy: Fig. 1. Drawing of echinus of the capital of the column of the inner peristyle. Fig. 2. Drawings of the annulets and echinus of the inner peristyle. Fig. 3. Plan of the flutings. Fig. 4. Drawings of the abacus and echinus of the capital in the upper floor of the inner peristyle. Fig. 5. Drawing of the annulets of the capital in the upper floor of the inner peristyle.

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  Reconstruction of the pronaos of the Temple of Hera in Paetsum, Italy.

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  Plan of the Temple of Athena in Paestum, Italy.

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  View of capital of Corinthian order from Malta.

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  Plan of the Temple of Athena in Syracuse, Italy. This Temple was demolished, and upon its ruins the Cathedral of the city was built.

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  Temple of Athena in Syracuse, Italy (today part of the Cathedral of the city): Fig. 1. Capital and base of the columns of the pronaos. Fig. 2. Section of the interior mouldings of the entablature. Fig. 3. Section plan of the entablature at the corner.

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  View of the quarries of Syracuse, also known as Ear of Dionysius.

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  Temple of Hera in Agrigento, Sicily. Outer peristyle: View of column base, column, capital and part of entablature at the corner. Section plan of the triglyph at the corner. Plan of the triglyph.

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  View of the Temple of Concordia in Agrigento, Sicily.

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  The Temple of Concordia in Agrigento, Sicily. Outer peristyle: View of part of the entablature at the corner. View of the capital column and column base. Bottom view of the guttae. Plan of the triglyph.

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  View of the Tomb of Theron in Agrigento, Sicily.

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  Plan of Temple G, probably dedicated to Zeus, in Selinunte, Sicily.

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  Reconstruction of the front of Temple G, probably dedicated to Zeus, in Selinunte, Sicily.

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  Drawings of the opisthodomos of Temple E, probably dedicated to Hera, in Selinunte, Sicily. Capital of the column, with details of the annulets and echinus. Drawing of the entablature at the corner.

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  Ruins of ancient temples in Paestum, Italy.

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  Plan of the Second Temple of Hera in Paestum, Italy.

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  Second Temple of Hera in Paestum, Italy: Fig. 1. Half plan of the entablature of pronaos: triglyph, metops etc. Drawings of column, capital of the column and part of the entablature of pronaos. Fig. 2. Section plan of the triglyph. Fig. 3. Section plan of abacus, capital of the column and column of the pronaos.

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  Views of columns, capital of the column, abacus, and other architectural elements of the inner peristyle of the Second Temple of Hera in Paestum, Italy.

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  Reconstruction of the front of the Temple of Athena in Paestum, Italy.

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  View of the Doric Temple in Segesta, Sicily.

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  Fig. 1. Plan of the Temple of Zeus in ancient Olympia, Greece. Fig. 2. Plan of the Temple of Temple of Apollo Epicurius in Bassae, Greece.

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  Title page.

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  Plan of the Second Temple of Hera in Paestum, Italy.

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  Map of Sicily.

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  Map of ancient Syracuse.

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  Representation of the ancient theater of Syracuse.

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  View of the front of the Temple of Athena in Syracuse. The peristyle of Doric order shown in the plan is today part of the Cathedral of the city.

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  Section plan of the pronaos and the outer peristyle of the Temple of Athena in Syracuse. This is today part of the Cathedral of the city.

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  Drawings of the architectural elements of the outer peristyle of the ancient Temple of Athena in Syracuse. Parts of this peristyle is have been incorporated into the Cathedral of the city.

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  View of the ancient theater of Syracuse, in Sicily.

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  The fountain of Arethousa in Syracuse, Sicily.

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  Composition: Urns and kraters of Sicily.

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  View of Agrigento in Sicily. The Temple of Concordia and the Temple of Hera.

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  View of the Temple of Hera in Agrigento, Sicily.

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  Plan of the Temple of Hera in Agrigento, Sicily.

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  Temple of Hera in Agrigento, Sicily: Fig. 1. Profile of the capitals. Fig. 2. The annulets, half the original size. Fig. 3. Section of the steps. Fig. 4. Plan of the remains of the Temple Asclepius.

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  View of the front of the Temple of Hera in Agrigento, Sicily.

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  Plan of the Temple of Concordia in Agrigento, Sicily.

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  View of the front of the Temple of Concordia in Agrigento, Sicily.

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  Section of view of the part between the pronaos and the outer peristyle of the Temple of Concordia in Agrigento, Sicily.

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  Temple of Concordia in Agrigento, Sicily: Fig. 1. Profile of the capitals, with detailed measurments of the echinus. Fig. 2. The annuels . Fig. 3. Drawing of the entablature at the corner. Fig. 4. Drawing of the capitals of the pronaos and the outer peristyle. Fig. 5. Section plan of the stereobat of the cella, vestibules, and peristyles.

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  Temple of Concordia in Agrigento, Sicily: Drawing of capitals of the antae with the entablature over the antae and columns of the pronaos and opisthodomos. Fig. 1. Section plan of through the entablature at the corner. Fig. 2. Plan of the triglyphs in the entablature of the pronaos and opisthodomos.

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  View of the ruins of the Temple of Olympian Zeus in Agrigento, Sicily.

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  Temple of Olympian Zeus in Agrigento, Sicily: Fig. 1. Section plan of part of the capitals of the front. Fig. 2. Section plan of the capitals. Fig. 3. Profile of the capital and column at the corner. Fig. 4. Profile of the annulet and echinus.

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  Plan and representation of the front of the Temple of Olympian Zeus in Agrigento, Sicily. Comparative drawings of this temple with the Temple of Concordia in the same site.

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  The Tomb of Theron in Agrigento, Sicily: Fig. 1. Half plan of the tomb. Fir. 2. Drawing of the capital of the columns, the column and the entablature. Fig. 3. Drawing of one of the windows. Fig. 4. The mouldings of the windows.

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  View of the ruins of the Temple of Asclepius in Agrigento, Sicily. In the background the Temple of Concordia.

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  View of the Tomb of Theron in Agrigento, Sicily.

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  Ancient urn from Sicily.

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  Map of the ancient city of Selinunte, in Sicily.

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  View of the ruins of Temple G, probably dedicated to Zeus, in Selinunte, Sicily.

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  View of the ruins of Temple G, probably dedicated to Zeus, in Selinunte, Sicily.

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  Temple G, probably dedicated to Zeus, in Selinunte, Sicily: Drawing of the torrus, column, capital of the column and entablature at the corner. On the right, plan of triglyph.

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  View of Temple E, probably dedicated to Hera, in Selinunte, Sicily.

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  Reconstruction of the front of Temple E, probably dedicated to Hera, in Selinunte, Sicily.

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  Temple E, probably dedicated to Hera, in Selinunte, Sicily: Drawing of stylobate. Views of column, capital of the column, and part of entablature at the corner. Fig. 1. Drawings of annulets and echinus of the capital of the column. Fig. 2. Plan of the triglyph.

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  Plan of Temple F in Selinunte, Sicily.

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  Reconstruction of the ancient theater of Segesta in Sicily.

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  Reconstruction of the ancient theater of Segesta in Sicily.

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  The front of the Doric Temple in Segesta, Sicily.

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  Doric Temple of Segesta, Sicily: Views of stylobate, column, capital of the column and part of the entablature at the corner. On the right drawing of guttae.

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  Doric Temple of Segesta, Sicily: Fig. 1. Drawing of the capital of the column with detailed measurements of abacus and echinus of the capital. Fig. 2. Drawing of the annulets and echinus. Fig. 3. Drawing of the torus. Fig. 4. Plan of the column at the base of the shaf. Fig. 5. Plan of the capital and the base of the shaf.

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  Map of Paestum in Italy.

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  View of the Second Temple of Hera in Paestum, Italy.

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  Reconstruction of the front of the Second Temple of Hera in Paestum, Italy.

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  Reconstruction of the part between pronaos and outer peristyle in the Second Temple of Hera in Paestum, Italy.

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  Reconstruction of the part between the opisthodomos and the outer peristyle in the Second Temple of Hera in Paestum, Italy

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  View of the Temple of Hera in Paestum, Italy.

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  Plan of the Temple of Hera in Paestum, Italy.

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  Temple of Hera in Paestum, Italy: Fig. 1. Plan and drawing of the entablature together with view of the capital of the column and the column of the peristyle. Fig. 2. Bottom view of the column with details of the decorative elements underneath the echinus.

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  Temple of Hera in Paestum, Italy: Fig. 1. Capital of the antae of the pronaos. Fig. 2. The contour of the shafs of the columns, shewing the diameters at different heights.

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  View of the Temple of Athena in Paestum, Italy.

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  Temple of Athena in Paestum, Italy: Drawings of crepid, column, capital of the column and part of the entablature in the corner. Fig. 1. The soffite of the principal member of the cornice. Profile of the necking of the capital. Fig. 3. The base and part of the shaf of the columns of the pronaos.

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  Statue of Pan.

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  View, plan and bottom plan of capital of Corinthian order from Milos island.

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  View and bottom view of capital of Corinthian order from Malta.