Page:History of Art in Persia.djvu/365

 Inhabited Palaces. 343 to look after them, than his famous ancestor ; hence the ancient building was not deemed large enough, and one more spacious and more liberally decorated was built As.during his periodical stay at Perscpolis he often took up his quarters in the palace con- nected with the memory of the second founder of the monarchy, he wished to have a more easy means of ingress to and ^^ress from the Gynecsum than had been provided in the former reigns. To this end he opened a door and made a staircase on the west side, so as not to be obliged to go round the hypostyle hall and the porch. Greek historians tell us that the manners of the Persians underwent a change greatly for the worse from the sixth to about the middle of the fourth century b.c. It may, perhaps, be objected that the scenes figured on the walls of the Palace of Ochus have nothing to distinguish them from those of other palaces. But it should be observed that the on(y bas-reliefs that have been preserved are those over the sub- structures, and that we know nothing as to what was sculptured upon the jambs of doorways. Persian sculpture had but few themes at its disposal, which it reproduced without ringing a change ; so that we should not be surprised — ^leaving aside the question as to the use of the building — if the artist had reproduced here images which his chisel was accustomed to sow liberally on the face of staircases hb master would ascend, and the portals in and out of which he would pass. The harem under notice, if it be a harem, was equally near the block called the Palace of Xerxes, because the name of that prince is seen in more than one place (Fig. 1 10^ No. 5).* After the two great throne-rooms, it was the largest building on the esplanade, with a surface of 2120 square metres. It will not require a detailed description; taken altogether, it is in a much poorer state than the Palace of Darius, the dispositions of which it repro- duces, but on a larger scale (Fig. 165). Thus, the front porch has twelve pillars instead of eight, and the central hall thirty-six instead of sixteen;' its chambers, at the sides of porch and hall, are large in proportion, the ceiling of the two principal ones being upheld by four pillars. The only striking difference resides in the absence of any apartments at the farther side. ' Flandin and Coste, Perse ancienne^ "Texte," pp. 110-115. ' The floor of this building was one with the rock. Roughnesses all over the stony floor maik the site of columns ; adhering to them are still fragments of bases. Digitized by Gopgle