Page:History of Architecture in All Countries Vol 1.djvu/192

 160 HISTOKY OF ARCHITECTURE. Pakt I. CHAPTER III. ASSYRIAN PALACES. CHRONOLOGY. DATES. Shalmenaser T. foiinded Nimroud. b. ( . 1290 Tiglathi Nin, his soil (Minus?) . . . . lliTO Tiglath Pileser 1150 Assliui-l)aiii-pal (north-vest palace, Nim- roud) 886 Shalniciieser II. (cejitral palace, do.). . 859 Shainas Iva 822 Iva Lush IV 810 Interregnum. DATES. Tiglath Pileser IT. (south-eastern palace, Nimroud) B. c. 744 Shalmeneser IV T26 Sargon (palace, Khorsabad) 721 Sennacherib (palace, Koyunjlk) .... 704 Ksarhaddon (south-western palace, Nim- roud) 680 Sardanapalus (central palace, Koyunjlk) 667 Destruction of Nineveh 625 ALL the knowledge which we in reality j^ossess regarding the ancient palatial architecture of the Euphrates valley i is derived from the exploration of the palaces erected by the great Assyrian dynasty of Nineveh during the two centuries and a half of its greatest prosperity. Fortunately it is a period regarding the chronology of which there is no doubt, since the discovery of the Assyrian Canon by Sir Henry Rawlinson,2 extending up to the year 900 b. c; this, combined with Ptolemy's Canon, fixes the date of every king's reign with almost absolute certainty. It is also a period regarding which Ave feel more real interest than almost any other in the history of Asia. Almost all the kings of that dynasty carried their conquering arms into Syria, and their names are familiar to us as household Avords, from the record of their Avars in the Bible. It is singularly interesting not only to find these records so completely confirmed, but to be able to study the ' Tliis chapter and that lU'xL folloAV- ing may be icjiai'ded as, in all essential respects, an abridgment or condensation of tlM' information contained in a work pnl)lished by tiie author in 1S.")1, en- tilled, "The Palaces of Nineveh and Persepolis llestored." the only real dif- ference beini; that the more perfect de- cipherment of the inscriptions since that Avork was i)ublished has caused some of the palaces and bniidings to be ascrilx'd to different kings and dynasties from those to w hom they were then assigned, and proved their dates to be more mod- ern than was suspected, for the oldest at least. The order of their succession, however, remains the same, and so, con- se(|uently, ilo all the architectural infer- ences drawn from it. Those readers who may desire further information on the subject are referred to the work al- luded to. 2 Pnblished in 1862 in the " Athe- nteum" jotu'iial, No. 1812.