The oldest is the North-West Palace, Niinroud, built about 000 B.C., by a king who is believed to be identical with the Sardanapalus of the Greeks. This, though not one of the largest, is one of the most beautiful of the palace-temples. The great hall is 152 feet long by 32 wide ; at the upper end is the place of the throne, at the lower a vestibule overlooking the river. The facade was about 330 feet in extent Like the other larger temples, the entire wall-surface, both inside and out, was faced with sculptured slabs, the best of which are now in the British Museum.
The Centre Palace, Nimroud, was built by a son of Sardanapalus, whose name has been read Shalmann-bar, and who was contemporary with Jehu, king of Israel, who, according to the inscriptions on the palace, was tributary to the Assyrian king. Its date, therefore, is somewhere about 8S5 B.C. From finding slabs partly removed, and other appearances, Layanl was led to conclude that this building had been despoiled to provide materials for building the South-West Palace, in which lie found slabs identical in style and execution with those placed ready for removal in this.
At Kalah-Shergat, on the right bank of the Tigris, and perhaps the site of the Calah of the Scriptures, are the remains of a palace built by the founder of the Centro Palace. The mound is of unusual extent ; but the palace contains, so far as is known, no sculptured slabs. A seated basaltic figure, now in the British Museum, was however found there.
The Upper Chambers, Nimroud, is a small palace, built about 800 n.c. by a successor of Shahnann-bar, named Shamasphal.
The Palace at Kborsabad was one of the most remarkable of these palace-temples. It stood on a square mound, the sides of which were 650 feet long, and the approach was by a lower mound at least 1300 feet long and 300 feet wide. The great rooms were 110 feet long by 33 wide. The design is uniform throughout, and the sculpture of the best class of Assyrian art. It is from this palace that the sculpture in the Louvre is chiefly derived. The palace appears to have been wholly built by Sargon, about 720 n.c. The arch, both as a constructive and decorative feature, is shown to have been well understood by the Assyrians at this time.
The great Palace at Kouyunjik was built by Sennacherib, son of Sargon, about 700 B c. This was the largest and most magnificent of the palaces of Nineveh. It stood on an artificial mound 7300 feet in circumference ; the palace proper, which contained three great inner courts and above 60 apartments, occupying a square, the sides of which were 600 feet long. In extent it was only surpassed among the build ings of antiquity by the great temple of Thebes, and the entire wall space was covered with sculpture. The chief of the slabs are now in
the British Museum.
The South-West Palace, Nimroud, was built by Esarhaddon, the son of Sennacherib, who seems to have despoiled the previously existing palaces, and especially the NorthAVest Palace, for its dwomtion. The only part which appears to have been saved from entire destruction is the great hall, which is 165 feet long by 62 .feet wide—the largest hitherto met with.
Another palace, supposed to have been built by the same king, was discovered in the mound known as the Tomb of Jonah.
A second great palace, discovered near that of Seunacherib, at Kouyunjik, appears to have been built about 650 n c., by a son of Esarhaddon, named Asshurlaani-pal. It is characterised by greater minuteness and finish in the sculptured slabs and architectural details, but in other respects resembles the other large palaces. The sculpture is in the British Museum.
The South East Palace, Nimrond, is small, and comparatively un adorned, and is only interesting as having been built by a grandson of Esarhaddon, and probably the last sovereign of the dynasty.
Besides these palace-tonsils% no great buildings, properly so called, have, as we have said, been discovered. But in the great conical mound at Nimroud were found the remains of a huge equarc tower, constructed of sun-dried bricks, which up to the height of about 20 feet had been faced with well-laid solid masonry. It appears to have risen in three or four stages or stories to the height of perhaps 200 feet ; at the present time about 120 feet are still standing. In the centre of the structure was found a gallery, about 100 feet long, 6 wide, and 12 high ; it was quite empty, and afforded no clue to the original purpose of the building. Mr. Layard is inclined to believe it a place of royal sepulture, and that it was the tomb of Sardanapalus, so often referred to by ancieut writers : Mr. Fergusson thinks that it was a temple. Another more strictly pyramidal seven-storied building was found by M. Place : it appears to have been a temple, resembling that at Babylon known as the Biro Nimroud. An object of great interest found in this mound was a large inscribed and sculptured monolithic obelisk of black marble, now in the British Museum. [Cassias.) The city wall, which, according to Diodorns Siculus (b. c. 1) was 100 feet high, and so wide that three chariots might be driven abreast upon it, and which was defended by 1500 towers, each 200 feet high, has not been traced : nothing now remaining of it, says Mr. Layard, " but the long lines of mounds enclosing the ruins of Nimroud,