Cyrus, about 540 B. C. took Babylon, by diverting the water of the Euphrates, and entering by the dry channel into the city. Susa being his capital, Babylon rapidly declined in grandeur : having revolted, it was again ta ken by a vile stratagem by Darius Hystaspcs, who de molished its gates, and reduced the walls. His successor Xerxes, in 478 B. C. when returning from his inglorious expedition to Greece, plundered and demolished the tower of Belus. The enterprising Alexander, in 324 B. C. meant to have rebuilt it, and actually, employed workmen to clear out the ruins, but his premature death interfered with this and many other splendid projects. In 294 B. C. it was almost exhausted of its inhabitants by Seleucus Nicanor to people his new city Seleucia. It suffered greatly by the neglect of the Parthian princes before the Christian xra ; and in the 4th century, Jerome informs us, that, " its walls were employed by the Per sian princes as an enclosure for wild beasts, preserved there for the chase." Such has been the rise, progress, and termination of this singular city, where architecture was practised on a truly gigantic scale. Had the materials employed been granite, porphyry, or marble, instead of bricks, we should still, doubtless, with regard to mass, have had fragments worthy to be compared of Upper Egypt ; but as it is, we are to remember, that the latter part of the period we have been contemplating, is distant 2400 years, and that the constructing and ornamenting, of Asiatic cities, was governed by the vanity and caprice of despo tic sovereigns, instead of the unvarying pursuits of a permanent independent priesthood.
Front the best authorities, it appears, that Nineveh resembled Babylon in form, extent, and population. Diodorus Siculus says it was 480 stadia in circuit, that its walls were 200 feet high, and that there were 1500 towers. Strabo admits, that it was larger than Babylon. It was taken by Arbaces and l3elesis, 747 B. C.; and again by Astyages, 626 B. C. when it was totally ruined.
The next imperial cities were Susa and Ecbatana. Susa was built or restored by Darius lEystaspes; it was an oblong of 120 stadia in circuit, and situated upon the river Uhlai, or Cutmus.
Ecbatana was built by Deioces, king of the Medes ; it stood upon a gentle declivity, 12 stadia from the Mount Orontes ; its circuit was 150 stadia; it was unwalled, but had a strong citadel or palace, encompassed by seven walls, each distinguished by a separate colour, and rising gradually above each other. Herodotus says, it was about the size of Athens. Some are of opinion, that the present Taurus is the same as Ecbatana, but there are now no vestiges of the famous citadel or palace. It is said by Sir John Chardin to have been, at the time of his visit, the second city in Persia, and at that time to con tain 15,000 houses, 15,000 shops, 300 caravanserates, and 250 mosques; that the total population was 550,000, and that the piazzas exceeded those of Ispahan.
Of all the ancient Persian cities, the ruins of Perse polis alone now exhibit to us a specimen of their palace architecture. It is situated in 30° 40' N. latitude, and
84° E. longitude, in the province of Fars or Faristan, in a fertile plain about 40 leagues in length, and from 2 to 6 in breadth. There are, it is said, 880 villages in this plain, and 1500 in a circle 12 leagues round Persepolis.
Diodorus says, that Cambyses, after destroying the Egyptian temples, carried the spoils into Persia, and adorned the edifices he constructed by means of Egyp tian workmen. But it is known that Cambyses died be fore he reached Persia, and therefore it is more probable these works may be attributed to his successors Darius and Xerxes; for Strabo states, that the kings of Persia, after decorating the palace of Susa, did the same to Per sepolis and Pasargadc.
'There are no vestiges of the city of Persepolis, but the extensive terraces, lofty columns, and Egyptian door ways of the palace, are singularly striking, (Sec Plate CLIII.) they are usually denominated the forty columns, but the traces of 205 were discovered by Lc Brun, who spent three months in exploring, neasuring, and delineat ing the ruins and sculptures. Of this superb building, the walls of three sides were then visible ; the facade was 600 paces from north to south, and 300 from east to west. The 19 columns then standing were from 70 to 72 feet high, and 17 inches 7 nails in circumference. From the annexed Plates and the discussions under the Prac tice of Architecture, it will be seen, that these columns w ere different from the Egyptian : they appear too slen der to support much weight, and therefore strengthen the probability of this being a summer palace, where temporary coverings were eniplovcd.
Le Brun, after stating what is said by Diodorus Siculus, Ptolemy of Alexandria, Strabo, Quintus Curtius, Stepha nus, Antrnianus Marccllinus, and Josephus, endeavours to prove, from the sculptures, that this was the palace of Persepolis, destroyed by Alexander 327 B. C. The dress and arms of the figures are partly Persian and partly Median. The Persians offered horses to the sun, and oxen to the moon, as is shewn in the sculptured proces sion ; here is also the tiara worn in the time of Cyrus, in the processions, where the principal lords were obliged to assist : (See Xenophon.) The umbrella was in use amongst the ancient Persians. The lung robes, with foldings, is a Median dress.
'I'he tombs of the kings are found in one mountain to the south, and another to the north ; thc facade of the for mer is cut in the rock, and is ornamented with sculptures, Plate CLIII.; it is about 70 feet broad on the base ; the part decorated with figures is about 40 feet broad, and as much in height ; the rock extends beyond it on each side about 60 paces. The other tombs are similar to this. Le Brun found about 1300 figures of men and animals sculp tured on these tombs ; some of the men from 7.5 to 10.7 feet high; some had parasols or umbrellas over their heads; sonic were armed wit!) lances ; and many were combating lions. But for the particulars, we must refer to Plates CLIII. and CLIV., and the discussions under the Practice of Architecture.