ANCIENT PERSIAN SHIELDS. 
643 
form. Indeed, no other shape presents itself (if we do not 
admit these long narrow masses to be shields,) excepting the 
single circular buckler, carried by a man in a short tunic and 
sandaled legs, in the procession on the grand staircase. On the 
immediate verge of the landing-place, from the western flight 
of steps belonging to the building I am describing, (a) we enter 
a portal of these long-shielded guards ; and, at a very few paces 
onward, pass through a second, (f) into a room forty-eight feet 
square. Two other doors open from it to the north, two to the 
west, one to the south, and formerly two to the east; but one 
only remains on that side, fragments alone of the second mark¬ 
ing where its frame-work has been. On three sides of the room, 
we found several niches, each excavated in one solid stone, 
to a depth of three feet, five in height, and six in the width. 
They appear to have been exquisitely polished within, while 
upright lines of cuneiform characters run along their edges. 
Four windows, ten feet high, open to the south. They embrace 
the whole thickness of the wall, namely, five feet; and at present, 
from the accumulation of ruins on the floor, are hardly a foot 
above it. The door-ways (gggg) have all, on their several 
sides, duplicate bas-reliefs of a royal personage, attended by two 
persons, one holding an umbrella. But as it is a subject which 
will present itself frequently during my observations on the 
whole of these edifices, I shall postpone a more particular 
description till I have investigated farther. Compartments of 
inscription are over the heads of all the groups. For the same 
reason, I shall defer entering on the details of three other bas- 
reliefs in the same room, consisting of single combats between 
a man and a lion, a man and a griffin, and a man with a non¬ 
descript creature. 
4 n 2 
