Alberti, Leone Battista, Architecture, 1755

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1Anceſtors, when, having overcome their Ene­
mies
, they were endeavouring with all their
Power
to enlarge the Confines of their Em­
pire
, uſed to ſet up Statues and Terms to mark
the
Courſe of their Victories, and to diſtinguiſh
the
Limits of their Conqueſts.
This was the
Origin
of Pyramids, Obelisks, and the like
Monuments
for the Diſtinction of Limits.
Afterwards being willing to make ſome Ac­
knowledgment
to the Gods for the Victories
which
they had gained, they dedicated Part of
their
Plunder to Heaven, and conſecrated the
publick
Rejoycings to Religion.
This gave
Riſe
to Altars, Chapels, and other Monuments
neceſſary
for their Purpoſes.
They were alſo
deſirous
of eternizing their Memory to Poſte­
rity
, and of making even their Perſons, as well
as
Virtues known to future Ages.
This pro­
duced
Trophies, Spoils, Statues, Inſcriptions,
and
the like Inventions for propagating the
Fame
of great Exploits.
People of lower Rank
too
, tho' not eminent for any particular Ser­
vice
done their Country, but only for their
Wealth
or Proſperity, were fond of imitating
the
ſame Practice, in which many different
Methods
have been taken.
The Terms erected
by
Bacchus, at the End of his Progreſs thro'
India, were Stones ſet up at certain Diſtances,
and
great Trees with their Trunks encom­
paſſed
with Ivy.
At Lyſimachia was a very
large
Altar, which was ſet up by the Argo­
nauts
, when they paſſed by that Place in their
Voyage
. Pauſanias, on the Banks of the Ri­
ver
Hippanis, near the Black Sea, fixed a huge
Vaſe
of Braſs, ſix Inches thick, which would
contain
ſix hundred * Amphoras. Alexander,
near
the River Alceſtes, which falls into the
Ocean
, erected twelve Altars of prodigious large
ſquare
Stones, and near the Tanais ſurrounded
all
the Space of Ground which his Army took
up
in its Encampment, with a Wall which
was
ſeven Miles and an half in Compaſs.
Darius, having ſet down his Camp near Oth­
ryſia
, upon the River Arteſroe, commanded
his
Soldiers to throw each of them one Stone
in
different Heaps, which being very large
and
numerous, might fill Poſterity with Aſ­
toniſhment
. Seſoſtris, in his Wars, erected an
Obelisk
with handſome Inſcriptions, in Ho­
nour
of thoſe who made a brave Reſiſtance
againſt
him; but thoſe who ſubmitted baſely
he
branded with Infamy, by ſetting up Obe­
lisks
and Columns with the Pudenda of a Wo­
man
carved upon them. Jaſon, in all the
Countries
thro' which he paſſed, erected
Temples
in his own Honour, which we are
told
were all demoliſhed by Parmenio, to the
Intent
, that no Memorial might any where
remain
but that of Alexander. Theſe were
Monuments
erected during the Expeditions
themſelves
; others, ſuch as follow, were raiſed
after
the Victory obtained, and the Conqueſt
compleated
.
In the Temple of Pallas, the
Diligent
hung the Shackles with which the
Lacedemonians had been fettered. The Evi­
ans
not only preſerved in their Temple the
Stone
with which the Phymian King ſlew the
King
of Machienſes, but even worſhiped it as
a
God.
The Æginetæ dedicated to their
Temple
the Beaks of the Ships which they
took
from their Enemies.
In Imitation of
them
Auguſtus, having overcome the Ægyp­
tians
, erected four Trophies of the Beaks of
their
Ships; which were afterwards removed
to
the Capitol by the Emperor Domitian, Ju­
lius
Cæſar had before raiſed two of the ſame
Sort
, one upon the Roſtrum, and the other
before
the Senate, upon defeating the Cartha­
ginians
in a naval Engagement.
Why need I
mention
that infinite Number of Towers,
Temples
, Obelisks, Pyramids, Labyrinths, and
the
like Works which we read of in Hiſtori­
ans
?
I ſhall only obſerve, that this Deſire of
perpetuating
their Names by ſuch Structures,
roſe
to ſuch a Pitch among the Heroes of old,
that
they even built Towns for no other Pur­
poſe
, calling them by their own Names to de­
liver
them down to Poſterity. Alexander, not
to
mention many others, beſides thoſe Cities
which
he built in Honour of his own Name,
went
ſo far as to build one after the Name of his
Horſe
Bucephalus. But in my Opinion, what
Pompey did was much more decent; when having
defeated
Mithridates in the lower Armenia, he
built
the City Nicopolis (or of Victory) in the
very
Place where he had been Conqueror.
But
Seleucus ſeems to have far outſtript all theſe;
ſor
he built three Cities in Honour of his
Wife
, and called them Apamia; five in Ho­
nour
of his Mother, by the Name of Laodicea;
nine
called Seleucia, in Honour of his own
Name
; and ten in Memory of his Father,
which
were called Antiocha. Others have made
themſelves
famous to Poſterity, not ſo much
by
Magnificence and Expence, as by ſome par­
ticular
new Invention. Cæſar, with the Berries
of
the Laurel which he had worn in Triumph,
planted
a Grove which he conſecrated to fu­
ture
Triumphers.
Near Aſcalon in Syria, was

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