And the foundation was of costly stones, even great stones, stones of ten cubits, and stones of eight cubits.
The foundation was of costly stones, even great stones. Enormous stones, corresponding exactly with the dimensions given, are found in Jerusalem at this day. Not only the walls from the foundation to the roof-beams were built of large hewn stones, but the spacious court also around the palace was paved with great square stones. Of these cyclopean stones which formed the substruction of the ancient temple, Dr. Robinson, in his description of the temple area ('Biblical Researches,' 1:, p. 422), gives the following account:-`The upper part of the walls (namely, of the Mosque el-Haram) is obviously of modern origin; but to the most casual observer it cannot be less obvious that these huge blocks, which appear only in portions of the lower part, are to be referred to an earlier date. The appearance of the walls in almost every part seems to indicate that they have been built upon ancient foundations-as if an ancient and far more massive wall had been thrown down, and in later times a new one erected upon its remains. We first noticed these large stones at the southeast corner of the enclosure, where, perhaps, they are as conspicuous, and form as great a portion of the wall, as in any part. There are several courses, both on the east and south sides, alternating with each other, in which the stones measure from 17 to 19 feet in length by 3 or 4 feet in height, while one block at the corner Isaiah 7:1 /3 feet thick. Further to the north all is new until toward the northeast corner of the area, where the ancient stones appear, one of them measuring 24 feet in length by 3 feet in height and 6 feet in width. The cornerstone on the west side, now next above the surface of the ground, measures 30 feet 10 inches in length by 6 1/2 feet broad; and several others vary from 20 1/2 to 24 1/2 feet long by 5 feet in thickness.
It is not, however, the great size of these stones alone, which arrests the attention of the beholder; but the manner in which they are hewn gives them also a special character. In common parlance, they are bevelled, which here means that, after the whole surface has been first hewn and squared, a narrow strip along the edges is cut down a quarter or half an inch lower than the rest of the surface. When these beveled stones are laid up in a wall, the face of it of course exhibits lines or grooves, formed by these depressed edges at their junction, marking more distinctly the elevation of the different courses, as well as the length of the stones of which they are composed.
At the first view of these stones, I was led to the persuasion that the lower portion had belonged to the ancient temple; and every subsequent visit only served to strengthen this conviction. The size of the stones and the heterogeneous character of the walls render it a matter beyond all doubt that the former were never laid in their present places by the Mohammedans; and the special form in which they are hewn does not properly belong either to Saracenic or to Roman architecture. Indeed, everything seems to point to a Jewish origin; and a discovery (namely, of the arch of the bridge over the Tyropoeon) which we made in the course of our examination, reduces this hypothesis, to an absolute certainty,' (see also Raumer's 'Palastina,' p. 290; Bahr, 'Der Salomonische Tempel,' part 2; Porter's 'Handbook,' p. 118; Stewart's 'Tent and Khan,' p. 261; Barclay's 'City of the Great King,' p. 273).