SCULPTURE. 



the image of Juno ftood upright, and weighed eight hun- 

 dred talents, grafping a ferpent by the head in her right 

 hand, and holding a Iceptre, adorned with precious ftones, in 

 hor left." 



But Babylon is now a ruin, nor are the caverns of the 

 earth found to yield any fragments of her ancient fculptures. 

 Among the ruins of the Perfian monarchy, which difplay 

 themfelves in melancholy ftate amidll the defarts, is Perfe- 

 pohs. The fragments of Iculpture that here remain are 

 very rude, and give an idea of the mere infancy of art, 

 though of gigantic dimenfions. Such are thofe fepulchral 

 monuments carved on high in the rock mentioned by Ifaiah 

 in thefe words. " He that hevveth himielf out a fcpulchre 

 on high, that graveth an habitation for himfelf in a 

 rock." 



The ruins of Perfepolis prefent examples of Perfian fculp- 

 ture on the wall, aiid in tjie portals of its ruined palace, 

 and alio on the tombs of its kings. Their antiquity may be 

 about the time when Ahafuerus removed the feat of govern- 

 ment from Babylon to Shuftian. We hear that Alexander 

 tBok poiiellion of Babylon, Shuflian, and Perfepolis, the 

 chief cities of the Perfun empire, and burnt down the palace 

 of Perfepolis, of which the ruins now remain. They are 

 hardly more ancient than that removal of the Perfian go- 

 vernment by Ahafuerus, who is Darius Hyftafpes. 



This palace of Perfepolis has its walls Itiil remaining on 

 three of its fides. Tlie extent of the front comprehends fix 

 hundred paces, from north to fouth ; it is three hundred and 

 niiiety from welt to ealt On the weft front are two mag- 

 nificent ftair-cafes, confiltirg each of two flights of fteps. 

 On the top of thefe ftair-cafes are feen two grand portals, 

 one fronting the weft, the other eaftward ; between them are 

 two magnificent columns, each fourteen feet in circumference 

 and fifty-four in height : within the portals are carved, in 

 ftone, the heads and breafts, and front feet projefting be- 

 yond the portals, of two animals fomewhat like fphynxes, 

 twenty-two feet from the fore to the hinder legs, and in 

 height fourteen feet and a half; they have the body of a 

 horfe, with the legs thick and ftiort, like thofe of a lion : 

 there is fome appearance of their having had human heads, 

 one of them having a crowned bonnet like a turret. The 

 other of thefe grand portals eaftward has two fomewhat fimi- 

 lar animals, but thefe have wings on their ftioulders, their 

 dimenfions being nearly the fame with the former. And at 

 the diftance of a hundred and feventy feet from this portal are 

 two ftair-cafes like the former. The walls which belong to 

 thefe ftair-cafes are fix feet fevcn inches high, of which the 

 lower ftonps make it evident that they were adorned with 

 fii;nros in low relief. The upper part of the flight is embel- 

 liftied with foliage-, and the reprefentation of a lion rending 

 a bull, much larger than life, and likewife in low relief. 

 The flairs are fcventeen feet in length, three inches high, 

 and fourteen inches and a half in breadth. 



AVhnt remain of this palace are chiefly pillars and porticoes, 

 the pillars being fluted, having bafes and capitals of uncouth 

 ornament, of fonictimes an animal's head and neck, and 

 fometimes ornaments like Gothic arches. All the upper part 

 of the building is entirely dcftroyed, and what remain of 

 that below are only feparate members, which have little 

 curnicdion with each other. Some of the columns are 70 

 luct high, and have been as numerous as 76 in a range, 

 though but comparatively few remain, and thofe terribly 

 mutilated. 



The other ruined portals are ornamented with figures 

 carved in theinfides of the jambs, of rude grandeur : on one 

 piirtal is a man fighting with a lion ; on another; a man fight- 

 ing with a grifl"on or horned lion ; andon a third.a fieure like a 

 Vol. XXXII. 



kmg, with two figures behind him, one with a parafol, the 

 other with a fea-horfe's tail, which being fet in a gold 

 handle, is ufed in Perfia at the prefent time to drive away 

 flies. Over his head, in the air, is a little figure on eagle's 

 wings, perhaps a god or a genius. Another portal has a 

 great many figures in difli"erent compartments, one above the 

 other: in the top compartment is a figure fitting on a throne: 

 on another rui:,ed pilafter, which was once the fide of a door- 

 way, is a figure fitting on a throne, and behind him an at- 

 tendant ; beneath, in three compartments, are many little 

 figures much defaced. Other pilafters have had other orna- 

 ments, and unknown charafters of letters fhaped like the 

 heads of arrows, difpofed in diff'erent direAions and in dif- 

 ferent combinations. The windows of thefe ruins, fome of 

 which remain, were ornamented alfo with fculptures in the 

 fame manner as the doors. One that remains has a man 

 holding an animal by the horn, which is fingle and very long, 

 and bending backwards ; before them walks a figure of a 

 man with fomething in his hand, like a facrificing inftrument : 

 other windows have alfo the fame unknown characters of 

 letters engraved on their fides. 



The ftair-cafes are half buried in the earth, and toward 

 the top very much broken ; they have each two flights of 

 fteps with landing places between, the walls of which, and 

 of the ftair-cafes, have been ornamented with fculpturc, in 

 two ranges, one above the other. The firft fix figures at the 

 entrance are fmaller than the reft, and have large veftmentt 

 with plaited fleeves, and a round bonnet rifing in plaits, and 

 larger in the upper than in the lower part ; they have hair 

 and long beards ; each holds a lance, and a quiver of arrows 

 is faftened at their back with a ftrap carried over the ftioulder. 

 The figure which is next in order, precedes a train of others ; 

 he holds the next by the left hand, and grafps a fork with the 

 right. It feems to reprefent an ecclefiaftic at the head of a 

 proceffion of others ; he is likewife arrayed in a large robe, 

 with a girdle hanging down very low. The three figures by 

 which thefe are fucceeded have /horter robes and fleeves, 

 with upper and under vefts, and pointed bonnets formed into 

 five plaits: thefe are properly the tiaras, called alfo re- 

 flexa, floped into a curve backwards, contrary to the tiara 

 Phrygia, which are bent forwards. Two of thefe figure* 

 hold a bafin in each hand ; a figure following them has two 

 hoops or circles in Iiis hands. This is followed by two 

 horles drawing a chariot, and by two other figures that 

 place their left hands, one on the back, the other on the neck 

 of the horfes. They arc all reprefented with hair and beards ; 

 the two laft bare-headed, the other has a bandage or diadem. 

 Between each compartment of fix or fcven figures, is a 

 kind of vafe, and the two firft figures always hold each other 

 by the hand. A horfe, led by the bridle, follows the two firft 

 figures in the fecond compartment ; three figures following 

 this, one of which bears fomething that icfembles a veftmrnt. 

 In the third compartment are five figures with httle balins 

 or buckets, and two others with balls or globes. Thofe in 

 the fourth compartment are not habited fo well as the others, 

 having only a very ftraight vcft, with a cinfture, and long 

 drawers, which are ftraight and plaited : three of thcle 

 figures have alfo bafins or little buckets in their hands, and 

 arc followed by a camel, having two hunches on his back, 

 with a little bell hung round his neck, after the manner of 

 the eaftern caravans, that the found may be heard at a dif- 

 tance, efpecially when they pafs through narrow defiles ; to 

 give notice alfo to the inhabitants of the carav.ui's arrival : 

 it is a fignal likewife to thofe who have loft their way, and 

 enables them to join their companions. The laft ciimpart- 

 ment is dilj^inguiftied by a figure bearing a pole, with a pot 

 fufpended at each extremity ; and in each of thefe pots arc 

 I fccn 



