Page:History of Art in Persia.djvu/143

 History or Art in Antiquity. A more felicitous arrangement than that of the double ramps could not well have been devised, constituting as it does one of the most remarkable features of Persepolitan architecture. ** It enabled the builder to increase the number of his flights on a compara- tively narrow area, and permitted him at the same time to prepare laige surfaces, which presently would be adorned with sculpture and inscriptions.'" The epigraphic texts and inscriptions specified above will be dealt with when we come to describe the palaces ; yet, even now, we can- not but draw atten- tion to the peculiar shape and the de- tails that appear about the parapet of these stairs, whose arrangement will be best under- stood by reference to Figs. 60, 61, showing the stair- cases of the palaces of Darius and Xerxes respec- tively. (See also Fig. 12. No. 3.) The inner side of the parapt^t. which the visitor has to his left as he ascends the steps, is divitled into perpendicular compartments terminating in a decided quarter round, and the smaller faces arching in front arc adorned with a rosette apiece. Above it is a broken moulding, and above it again a crenela- tion, whilst the eye of the merlon is surrounded by a window-like frame (see Figs. 60, 61).' The employment of the "stepped" 1 DiBULAPOY, L*Ari antique, torn. ii. p. 2S. ■ Jbid., torn, iiu pp. 78, 79. Digitized by Google