Page:History of Architecture in All Countries Vol 1.djvu/243

 Bk. II. Ch. VI. SOLOMON'S HOUSE. 211 be considered of sufficient interest to deserve a place in the History of Architecture. The principal apartment here, as in all Eastern palaces, was the great audience hall, in this instance 150 feet in length by 75 in width; the roof composed of cedar, and, like the Ninevite palaces, supported by rows of cedar pillars on the floor. According to Josephus, who, however, never saw it, and had evidently the Roman Stoa Basilica ol' the Temple in his eye, the section would probably have been as shown in diagram A. But the contemporary Bible narrative, which is the real authority, would almost certainly ])oint to something more like the diagram B in the annexed woodcut. 104. Diagram Sections of the House of the Cedars of Lebanon. Next in importance to this was the Porch, which was the audience or reception hall, attached to the private apartments. These two being the Dewanni Aum and Dewanni Khas of Eastern palaces at this day. The Hall of Judgment we may venture to restore with con- fidence, from wliat we find at Persepolis and Khorsabad ; and the courts are arranged in the diagram as they were found in Ninevite palaces. They are proportioned, as far as we can now judge, to those ])arts of which the dimensions are given by the authorities, and to the best estimate we can now make of what would be most suitable to Solomon's state, and to such a capital as Jerusalem was at that time. From Josephus we learn that Solomon built the walls of this palace "with stones 10 cubits in length, and wainscoted them with stones that were sawed and were of great value, such as are dug out of the earth for the ornaments of temples and the adornment of palaces." ^ These were ornamented with sculpture in three rows, but the fourth or upper row Avas the most remarkable, being covered with foliage in relief, of the most exquisite workmanship ; above this the walls were plastered and ornamented with paintings in color: all of which is the exact counterpart of what we find at Nineveh. From the knowledge we now possess of Assyi'ian palaces it might indeed be possible to restore this building with fairly approximate 1 Josephus, Ant. viii. 5, § 2.