Page:History of Architecture in All Countries Vol 1.djvu/188

 156 BABYUOyiA, Past I of the same class, and no doubt those of Babvlon were more magnifi- cent than any we have ret found ; but they must always have been such prominent objects, and the materials of which they were com- posed so easily removed, that it is doubtful if anything more perfect will now V>e found. The Mujelibe, descr'^ '^-^ '• v Rich and afterwards explored without success by Layard, is ] : y the base of the great temple of Belus described by the Greeks ; but even its dimensions can hardly now be ascertained, so completely is it ruined. It seems, however, to be a j«arallelogram of about GOO feet square.' and rising to a height of about 140 feet ; but no trace of the upper stories exist, nor indeed anything which would enable hb to speak with certainty of the form of the base- ment itself- If thLs is the height of the basement, however, analogy would lead as to infer that the six stories rose to a height of about 4o(> feet : and with the ziggurah or sikra on their summit, the whole height may veni- well have been the stadium mentioned by Strabo.^ As before mentioned, we have fortunately in the tomb of Cyrus at Passargadae fWoodcuts Xos. 52 to 54) a stone copy of these temples ; in 32. IvOiO «i i-jrus. icviu leXMjr e " Amiriiie « la Perse."; this mstance, however, so small that it can hardly be considered as more than a model, but not the less instructive on that account. Like the Birs Ximrotid, the pjTamid consists of six stories : the three upper of equal hei'_'ht, in this instance 23^ inches ; the next two are equal to each other, and as in Birs Xiniroud. in the ratio of 26 to 15, or 41 inches. The basement is equal to the three upf>er put toi'-ether. or 5 ft. 9 in.. ' I- nonh. and wH«t. 4<^jS. - : On the only an average euess can be made at its -.', . ea.«t. .>kl: orisinal dimensions. Hnt it Is so ruinous that * Strabo. xvi. p. "728.