Page:A History of Art in Chaldæa & Assyria Vol 1.djvu/392

 370 A HISTORY OF ART IN CHALD/EA AND ASSYRIA. us to point to the staged tower as the form chosen by these people and made use of throughout their civilization for the buildings raised in honour of their gods. And having dismissed this fundamental question we have now to give a rapid description of the principal varieties of the type as they have been established by M. Chipiez. And as we go on we shall point out the authorities for each restoration ; whether the ruins themselves, the inscribed texts, or the sculptured reliefs. In the first line we must place the RECTANGULAR CIIALD.EAN TEMPLE (Plate II. and Figs. 169, 1 70, and 171). We have put FIGS. 169 171. Longitudinal section, plan and horizontal section of the rectangular type of Chaldsean temple. it first because the remains from which it has been reconstructed have all been found in Lower Chaldsea, that is, amongst the oldest of the Chaldsean cities. As we learn from the texts, these temples were repaired under the last kings of Babylon, and it was their antiquity that made them dear both to the people and their kings. We may believe, therefore, that in restoring them care was taken to preserve their ancient features. It would be the upper part of their retaining walls that required renewal, and these would be rebuilt on their ancient foundations. Here and there the latter exist even at the present day, and