| Josephus writes in Antiquities of the Jews,
(12,IV,II) that a certain Hyrcanus, in the time of Seleucus IV(187-175
BC) built a strong building of white stone, surrounded by a fine
park and lake. On it's walls were representations of animals.
On the valley walls he made caves for banquet rooms, supplied
with running water. He called it Tyre, which some historians
feel eventually became Syr or Sur in Arabic. The building was
later used in the fourth to fifth century, during the Byzantine
era, when it was remodeled and much of the original interior
decorations destroyed. All that remains of the original animals
is a lion carved in white and pink breccia stone. |
