DOI Page / Citation link:
https://doi.org/10.11588/diglit.29898#0231
Bk. II. Ch. IY.
PBESIAN ARCHITECTURE.
195
The winged lions and bulls tha,t adorn the portals at Persepolis are
practically identical with those of hTineveh. The representations of
the king on his throne with his attendants are so similar, that but
for the locality it would require considerable knowledge to discrimi-
nate between Sennacherib and Xerxes. The long procession of tribute
bearers—the symbolical animals slain by the king; the whole orna-
mentation, in fact, is so slightly altered from what existed in Assyria,
that we are startled to find how little change in these sculptures the
new dynasty hacl introduced ; and if this is the case with them, and
their position and arrangement are nearly identical, we may feel very
certain that the architecture was also the same.
It appears at first sight to have been otherwise ; but on closer
examination it appears quite certain that this even is due more to the
material employed than to any alteration in form. Something may
be due to the fact that the buildings we now find on the platform at
Persepolis may have been dedicated to somewhat different purposes
than were those of Nineveh; but even this is not quite clear. If
the great square courts of the Ninevite palaces were roofed over,
as Layard suggested—and as probably was the case—they would
exactly represent the square halls of Persepolis. But as all the
intermediate buildings of sun-clried brick have been washed off the
bare rock by the winter rains of Persia, we can only speculate on
what they might have been, without daring to lay too much stress on
our convictions.
Pasargad/e.
In their present state the remains at Pasargadse are, perhaps,
more interesting to the antiquary than to the architect, the palaces on
the plain being so ruined that their architectural arrangements cannot
be understood or restored.
PBESIAN ARCHITECTURE.
195
The winged lions and bulls tha,t adorn the portals at Persepolis are
practically identical with those of hTineveh. The representations of
the king on his throne with his attendants are so similar, that but
for the locality it would require considerable knowledge to discrimi-
nate between Sennacherib and Xerxes. The long procession of tribute
bearers—the symbolical animals slain by the king; the whole orna-
mentation, in fact, is so slightly altered from what existed in Assyria,
that we are startled to find how little change in these sculptures the
new dynasty hacl introduced ; and if this is the case with them, and
their position and arrangement are nearly identical, we may feel very
certain that the architecture was also the same.
It appears at first sight to have been otherwise ; but on closer
examination it appears quite certain that this even is due more to the
material employed than to any alteration in form. Something may
be due to the fact that the buildings we now find on the platform at
Persepolis may have been dedicated to somewhat different purposes
than were those of Nineveh; but even this is not quite clear. If
the great square courts of the Ninevite palaces were roofed over,
as Layard suggested—and as probably was the case—they would
exactly represent the square halls of Persepolis. But as all the
intermediate buildings of sun-clried brick have been washed off the
bare rock by the winter rains of Persia, we can only speculate on
what they might have been, without daring to lay too much stress on
our convictions.
Pasargad/e.
In their present state the remains at Pasargadse are, perhaps,
more interesting to the antiquary than to the architect, the palaces on
the plain being so ruined that their architectural arrangements cannot
be understood or restored.