Volute Capitals Menu

Joel Drinkard, Jr. Professor of Old Testament  and Archaeology Southern Baptist  Theological Seminary

Instructor Helps

The article deals with a single architectural feature, the volute capital, which is associated with monumental architecture in Israel, Judah, Moab and Ammon. 

1. The article could well be used by the instructor as a resource for a lecture on architecture in Iron Age (or given as a student assignment). This article could be used alongside other articles on this web site such as "Iron Age Gates of Moab and Israel" and "Iron Age Military Sites in Moab." 
   

2. By drawing on the web links to Greek architecture, and using works such as Betancourt in the bibliography, a study could be made of the development of the volute spiral as a major component in architectural capitals. This study would include in addition to the Iron Age volute capitals anad the Greek Ionic capital, similar spiral designs in Nabatean, and Roman capitals, as well as the reappearance in later Crusader and Islamic capitals (though in considerably more complex designs).
   

3. A study could be made of Monumental Gateways and Processional Ways. What monumental architecture characterized these structures in Mesopotamian and Syro-Palestinian sites? Compare the Processional Way and Ishtar Gate complex as reconstructed in Babylon with the Mudaybi^c gate complex (granted ours is a much smaller scale!) and other gate complexes (such as Geshur/Bethsaida). A good additional resource for such a study is The Architecture of Ancient Israel, edited by Aharon Kempinski and Ronny Reich. The web site www.geocities.com/Area51/Cavern/5178/city.html has some data on the Ishtar Gate in ancient Babylon.
   

4. Several questions for reflection might be used in conjunction with students being assigned this article for study:

   1. Why were monumental gateways constructed? What were their purposes beyond defense? (To show the wealth/power of a central government; to indicate the importance of a particular site; to intimidate visitors with the wealth/power of the central authority; to show the presence of a central authority at a remote site; etc)

   2. What implications can be drawn from a typological approach as used in this article? (Typological approach may suggest a progressive development and suggest dating can be related to typological development; it may suggest cultural diffusion form a center where the form originally developed to more remote areas; etc)

   3. Where would the Mudaybi^c capitals fit in the typological pattern suggested by Shiloh?
      (Probably between his types D and E; the Mudaybi^c "type" seems slightly less developed than the Type E examples, but the difference may be due to diffusion-a different regional architect at work)

   4. In terms of iconography, what would the volute capital represent? (There has been some speculation that the volute capital represented a palm tree [Shiloh argues this]; alternatively the volute may represent a "tree of life" motif).

   5. Why does the author find the term "Proto-Ionic" problematic? Is his concern justified or not in your opinion? (Problematic because "Ionic" is an ethnic term-this capital is not found in Greek cultural areas; also problematic because this capital dates to ca. 500 years prior to any Greek example-if anything the influence went from Syria-Palestine to Greece; etc) 
      

Joel F. Drinkard, Jr.
Email: jdrinkard@sbts.edu