'General information on Persia for any future edition, 1895' [‎39r] (68/211)

20 April 1893
The R.I.B.A. Journal
301
REVIEWS. IX.
M. DIEULAFOY’S SUSA EXPLORATIONS.
By Mr. R. Phen£ Spiers, F.S.A., Fellow.
L'Acropole de Suse d'apris les fouilles extent6es en
1884, 1885, 1886, sous les auspices du Muste du
Louvre. By Marcel Dieulafoy. [Paris: Libraire
Hachctte et Cie. 1893.]
M. Dieulafoy’s long-expected work, containing
the results of his explorations at Susa, has just
appeared. It was published originally in parts,
of which the first, containing (in three chapters)
an account of the geography, historical and
political, and the history of Susa, from its archaic
period down to the Mahomedan invasion, was
published in the early part of 1890. The second,
containing an account of the fortifications, their
principles, parallels found in Egypt, Assyria, &c.,
appeared in December of the same year. A
year and a half passed before the third part was
issued, in which the faience and enamelled beton,
including the famous lion frieze, were treated;
and the fourth part, containing the restoration of
the great Palace of Artaxerxes Mnemon, and other
remains, appeared towards the close of last year.
The whole volume, with some additional plates,
comes out now in a complete form, and has been
presented by the author to the Library. When
one takes into account the enormous magnitude of
the researches which M. Dieulafoy has conceived
it necessary to undertake, and the extreme beauty
and elaboration of the plates, one can well under
stand the length of time it has taken to realise
this publication.
The most valuable portion of the whole work,
from an architectural point of view, is that which
has been devoted to the fortifications—a subject
in which M. Dieulafoy, as an engineer, may be
looked upon as facile princeps. The researches
he undertook and the discoveries he made there
seem to have been much more careful and more
complete than those of the Palace, and he carries
you with him, therefore, in his arguments when,
in subsequent chapters, he enters on the restora
tion of the original walls. It could scarcely be
expected that in the comparatively short time he
spent in Susa he would have been able to trace
out and measure the stupendous lines of defence
which encompass the three eminences of the
tumulus—namely, the Citadel, with its Keep; the
Royal Acropolis, containing the palaces of the
king and the residences of his retainers; and
the Apadana, or throne-room. But, having once
correctly ascertained the exact formation of the
triple wall of circumvallation in those points
where they were the best preserved, it became
easy to trace the main lines on which they
existed throughout the whole perimeter. What
seems to be the most astonishing is the ex
traordinary massiveness of the outer walls,
which in some instances measure 60 feet thick;
and these only constituted the outer line, the
whole depth of defence, including the triple wall
and interior rampart, measuring no less than
400 feet. It is necessary here to take into account
the fact that the walls were built with bricks dried
only by the sun ; but a few weeks’ exposure in a
temperature of 150° to 160° Fahr. would yield a
material of considerable durability. In some
cases the outer skins of these walls, from 15 to 20
feet in thickness, were built first with sun-dried
bricks, the centre portion being filled in with clay
(pist). Provision for draining these walls was
made with layers (horizontal and vertical) of
pebbles or gravel {gravier). The proximity of
the towers is also another interesting feature, this
proximity being necessitated by the comparatively
small range of the arrows, so that the curtain walls
were only 80 feet long, the distance from centre
to centre of tower being 115 feet. The height of
the walls surrounding the palace of reception, or
throne-room, was of less dimensions, so that from
its platform an extensive view could be enjoyed
by the king and his retinue.
A special value is imparted to this section of
the book by the elaborate description M. Dieu
lafoy gives of the methods of attack and defence
adopted in ancient times, illustrated by numerous
woodcuts taken from Sir Henry Layard’s Monu
ments, one of which, on page 141, actually
represents this Acropolis of Susa. This portion
of the work is based on the interesting contri
butions which Viollet-Le-Duc made to the
methods adopted by the Romans; but here M.
Dieulafoy carries it further back, and not only
proves the correctness of many of Viollet-Le-
Duc’s theories, but adds considerably to them.
By way of parallel, M. Dieulafoy describes the
fortresses of Egypt and Assyria, the former de
rived from M. Maspero’s works, and the latter from
those of Sir Henry Layard, Victor Place, and other
authorities. This portion of the work is also
abundantly illustrated with woodcuts from their
plates.
Chapters ix. and x. deal with the faience, or
enamelled terra-cotta, and the enamelled beton
{terre emailUe), which seems to have been em
ployed in the Palace of Artaxerxes Mnemon. It
is no exaggeration to say that the frieze of lions,
the frieze of archers, and the wall linings of the
ramps of the great staircases, form by far the most
beautiful scheme of wall-decoration which has
ever been conceived; and the reproductions in
M. Dieulafoy’s work, which are of an admirable
kind, fully bear out this assumption.
The frieze of lions was found, as is well known, „
with its face downwards, lying on the pavement of
the great court in front of the Apadana, or throne-
room, and was covered over with 9 or 10 feet of
the earth-wall, which had fallen on it. M. Dieu
lafoy happened to be running a trench at an angle
in front of this wall when one day a workman
brought some enamelled b^ton blocks to him.
Recognising that they might form part of a frieze,
he ran another trench parallel with the wall, and
as the fragments were taken out they were placed
side by side, face upwards, until one complete
lion, portions of others, and an inscription re
warded his discovery. This is now set up in
the Louvre, and constitutes one of its greatest
treasures. The b4ton blocks would seem to have
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