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As for the squinch, it may possibly be of Persian origin, but the earliest examples thus far known in Persia are to be found in the palaces of Firouz Abad and Sarvistan, which probably date from the Sassanian period between A.D. 226 and 641, and are therefore of later date than the Roman examples of the first and second centuries to be found in the Palace of the Caesars at Rome and the Villa Adriana at Tivoli (cir. A.D. 138). Whatever its origin, the squinch in its various forms, simple cross lintel,[4] cross arch, trumpet arch, niche head, etc., was employed prior to and during the Byzantine period along with the spherical pendentive. In fact a trumpet arch of domed up character is found in the Baptistery of the cathedral of Naples[5] which dates from the fifth century, while the niche head or half dome type, very commonly employed in Romanesque architecture, has a sixth century prototype in the church of San Vitale at Ravenna,[6] as well as many earlier examples such as those in the Domus Augustana (cir. A.D. 83),[7] or the Thermae of Caracalla (212-216)[8] at Rome. Other types of squinches occasionally appear but they are generally referable to one of the above mentioned forms.