Page:A History of Art in Chaldæa & Assyria Vol 2.djvu/86

 6S A History of Art in Chald.ea and Assyria. have already spoken at length in our chapter upon decoration (Vol. I., Figs. 123 and 124, and below, Fig. 26). Behind the bulls there are two winged genii facing each other across the passage and about thirteen feet high (Fig. 27). That these monumental doorways with their rich decorations 50 2 3 4-M- FlG. 26. — State gateway at Khorsabad. Elevation ; from Place. were reserved for pedestrians, is proved by the flight of steps. It was not thought desirable to subject their sculptures to the dangers of ve hicular traffic. In the portes simples the marks of wheels can be distinctly traced on the pavements. 1 Each of these gateways, whether for carriages or foot passengers, was a complicated edifice, and the arrangement of their 10,000 1 All these details are taken from Place, Ninive, vol. 1. pp. 169-182,