Page:History of Art in Persia.djvu/234

 322 History of Art in Antiquity. character. Upon a stage — no doubt imitated from that which -in' the reception halls supported the royal throne — ^the king is seen* on a pedestal raised by four steps, in the act. of .worshipping. .His long robe, and tiara serveito distinguish him ;* in his left hand is grasped a bent bow that touches the ground, whilst the right is stretehed' towards the altar where the sacred fire is burning.* Above, between the king and the altar, floats the image of Ahurft- Mazda, borne on huge wings, behind which a solar disc is roughly suggested.. God and king are not the only per- sonages the artist has introduced in this section of the frontispiece; two rows, f ach consisting of fourteen men, iil^hold the stage. The fact that. these hgures are differently attired is ex- plained in a passage of the long in- scription carved upon the tomb of Darius, to the effect that these bearers personify the various peoples of the emjiire, the provinces composing it. "If you rellect how great is the number of the countries Kinir Darius has had under his sway, and repeat it, look at the iniage of those who carry my throne, and you will understand it. Then you will know that the spear of a Persian man went afar ; then you will know that the Persian man has fought battles at great distances from Persia." * This the discovery made in 1885 by MM. Babin and Houssay, attached to Dieulafoy's ex- pedition, has served to corroborate. Thanks to a slight scaf- folding which they set up against the tomb of Darius (Fig. 106), they were able to explore the upper part more carefully than their predecessors, when concealed under a coating of plaster, which was easily removed, they read below the feet of seven of these figures the names of several known satrapies. Other figures are also to be found right and left of the principal decora- FlO. 105.— Nakdi«i-RHtcu. Entiwice tn royal tomb. Flahdin Mxl Costb, AntMitimm, Plate CLXXVII. ' The height of the king, according to the tombs, averages from 2 m. 20 c. to 2 m. 40 c. The figures of the ix>rters below are about one metre less.
 * Spibgbl, Dkt^^emuhoi KaUn^r^tm^ and edit 57.