'General information on Persia for any future edition, 1895' [‎46r] (82/211)

20 April 1893
The II.LB.A. Journal
307
authority for them in Persian work, and his
design would gain infinitely if they were omitted,
and the wall surface decorated with that diaper
of white and pale rose tints which w r as discovered
to have existed under the frieze of lions. These
grooves are still more out of place, as they are
shown descending on the top of the doorways,
which also seem uncalled for: such doorways and
niches only existed under the portico or in the
hall, and, so far as we know, are not found in ex
ternal walls.
Messrs. Perrot and Chipiez take exception to
the effect of the wings, wdiich, projecting in front
of the first line of columns in the Apadana, look,
they say, like towers. As I hold the opinion
that in the Palaces of Darius and Xerxes at Perse-
polis the porticoes were flanked by towers on their
principal fronts, I am not inclined to find fault
with their effect; but, architecturally speaking,
the setting back of the first line of columns as
shown cannot be defended. The crowning features
of the walls and their decoration seem to be
the best portion of the restoration; but I am
quite unable to understand the minute calcula
tion into which M. Dieulafoy has found it neces
sary to enter (pages 280-28G) in order to fit into
his design, as a sort of Panathenaic frieze under
the porticoes, the so-called frieze of archers. If
I understand rightly (p. 280), the archers were
found at a great depth—namely, 18 feet below
the standard level of the Apadana, and under the
substructures of the great doorway which com-
municated with the Royal Acropohs. It is quite
certain, therefore, that they could not have deco
rated Artaxerxes Mnemon’s Palace. Moreover,
in their workmanship M. Dieulafoy recognises
an earlier and a purer style, which he considers
belongs to the time of Darius, who is known to
have erected a palace here. It is true that a
similar frieze might have adorned the Apadana in
question, but no traces of its remains have been
found, and even then it is not likely to have been
of the same size : for if there is any characteristic
of these Asiatic sovereigns which is predominant
in their nature, it is the desire to excel their
predecessors in the magnificence of their work:
thus Darius in his palaces at Persepolis surpasses
Cyrus at Pasargad®, and Xerxes completely
eclipses Darius by his great Hall in Persepolis.
The Apadana of Artaxerxes Mnemon is likely to
have been far larger than that of Darius,* so that
it is of no value to try and fit his decorations in.
Chapter xiii. is devoted to proofs of the
authenticity of the Book of Esther, a review of
which I will leave to more competent authorities.
It is, however, of considerable interest in the
analogies which are shown between the main
features of the Apadana, such as are recognised
by all, and the descriptions given in the Book of
Esther.
* In support of this argument M. Dieulafoy
accounts for the absence of the Apadana in the bas-
relief at Nineveh representing Susa, by the fact that
the latter was carved at an earlier date, before the
platform was constructed to receive the Apadana of
Artaxerxes Mnenoon.—R. P. 8.
Chapter xiv. describes a building which M.
Dieulafoy calls an Ayadana, a word the interpre
tation of which is “ houses of the gods ” (mainons
des dieux). If the interpretation be true, and the
building of which M. Dieulafoy has discovered
the plan be an example, it is the solitary instance
known. At the same time, he points out that
Herodotus, Xenophon, and Strabo affirm that the
Persians erect neither statues, nor temples, nor
altars. As bas-reliefs of figures are found every
where, and at Pasargadae there are two altars, the
Greek authorities may be in error. The lower
portion of some of the walls and of two columns
of the Ayadana still remain, and discovery of the
pavement, more or less well preserved, has enabled
M. Dieulafoy to work out the whole plan. It con
sisted of a court 55 x 50, open to the sky, with a
corridor round, a portico in which the columns are
set behind the antse (as in the Palace of Darius),
and in the rear a hall with four columns carrying
the roof, also enclosed with a corridor, with en
trances at each end at the top of a flight of stairs.
In the centre of the court was the fire altar.
The last chapter is devoted to the description
of the various stages of construction by the several
races who have occupied Susa—the Elamites, the
Achemenidse, the Seleucidse, the Parthians, the
Sassanians, and the Mahomedans, from 700 b.c.
to 1100 a.d. —with a general description of the
various articles of policy and seals discovered in
the trenches, and is illustrated by numerous ex
amples in colour and otherwise.
In terminating this article, if in my description
I have treated in too critical a manner some of
M. Dieulafoy’s restorations, it is more with the
view of arriving at some definite conclusions as
to the precise nature of these Persian palaces
than to find fault with his great work. Con
sidering the serious difficulties with which he
had to contend—difficulties which beset Loftus
when he commenced the work: the intense heat,
the insalubrious nature of the country, the con
tinual troubles involved when searching in the
vicinity of a tomb looked upon as most sacred by
the fanatical Mussulmans, viz., the tomb of Daniel
between the river and the tumulus—the unsatis
factory An East India Company trading post. and irregular service rendered by the
natives, and difficulties of every kind constantly
being raised by the authorities, whose permission
it was necessary to obtain—I consider that M.
Dieulafoy has not only reason to be proud of his
achievements, but in the actual results arrived at,
in the embarkation and extradition of the splendid
artistic treasures with which he was able to enrich
the Louvre, and in the valuable works which he
has produced since as the result of his explora
tions, his indefatigable industry and research are
worthy of all praise; and I must acknowledge
the great debt we owe, not only to him, but to Ins
courageous spouse, who not only accompanied
him in his travels, but took upon herself no small
portion of the work undertaken, including that of
the publication of valuable records of the gradual
progress of the excavations, and other descriptions
of a more popular character.
R. Phene Spiers.