Temple of Bel with merlons. Judith McKenzie/Manar al-Athar

Temple of Bel – monumental entrance (propylaea) – from court. Judith McKenzie/Manar al-Athar

A prime example of hybridization in Palmyrene religious architecture is the Temple of Bel. It is unknown exactly when the complex was first constructed on the site but as Butcher writes, “…there is evidence to suggest that construction of the cella took place in fits and starts over a period of perhaps seventy years” (Butcher, 362), with the propylaea and walls of the temenos constructed in the later half of the first century AD.  The layout of the cella differs from traditional Greco-Roman temple plans as access is on the long side (Miller, 323). “The entrance to the cella…is located on the western side, and is offset towards the southern end. It is approached by a ramp rather than steps” (Butcher, 362). Furthermore, the cella itself consists of two main chambers instead of a central room; one on the south side, the other one the north (Browning, 99).  The ceiling of the southern chamber has Eastern vegetal designs; whereas the ceiling in the northern chamber is decorated with a zodiac. Additional Near Eastern decorative elements include a flat roof and merlons (pyramidal decorative elements). Finally, as Butcher writes, “The inscription referring to the temple’s dedication in AD 32 describes it as the ‘Temple of the gods Bel, Iarhibol and ‘Aglibol’” (363).  Iarhibol and ‘Aglibol are local Palmyrene gods and Bel is an imported Babylonian god.