In a recent lecture on "Babylonian and Assyrian Antiquities," at
the British Museum by Mr. W. St. Chad Boscawen, the architecture and
ornaments of a typical palace were described. The palace, next to the
local temple, was, the lecturer said, the most important edifice in
the ancient city, and the explorations conducted by Sir Henry Layard,
Mr. Rassam, M. Botta, and others, had resulted in the discovery of the
ruins of many of the most famous of royal residences in Nineveh and
Babylon. The palace was called in the inscriptions the "great house,"
as the temple was "God's house," though in later times it was also
named "the abode of royalty," "the dwelling-place of kings," while
the great palace of Nebuchadnezzar at Babylon, the ruins of which are
marked by the Kasr mound, was called "the wonder of the earth." The
arrangement of the palace was one which varied but little in ancient
and modern times, the same grouping of quadrangles, with intermural
gardens, being alike common to the Assyrian palace and the Turkish
serai.
The earliest of the Assyrian palaces were those built in Assur, which
dated probably from the nineteenth century before the Christian era;
but the seat of royalty was at an early period transferred from Assur
to Calah, the site of which is marked by the great mounds of Nimroud
at the junction of the greater Lab and the Tigris. Here large palaces
were erected by the kings of the Middle Assyrian Empire, the most
lavish of royal builders being Assur-nazir-pal and Shalmanisar; while
a third palace was built by Tiglath Pileser II. (B. C. 742). Mr.
Boscawen described the explorations carried out by Sir Henry Layard on
this site.
The most important chamber in the building was the long gallery or
saloon, which had been called the "Hall of Assembly." The various
parts of this palace included the royal apartments, the harem, and
the temple, with its great seven-stage tower or observatory. The
very extensive and systematic explorations carried out by the
French explorer M. Botta had restored the remains of one of the most
beautiful of the Assyrian palaces. The usurpation of the Assyrian
throne by Sargon the Tartar in B. C. 721 placed in power a new
dynasty, who were lavish patrons of the arts and who made Nineveh a
city of palaces. Probably on account of his violent seizure of the
throne, Sargon was afraid to reside in any of the existing places at
Nineveh--though he appears for a short time to have occupied the
old palace; he built for himself Calah, at a short distance to the
northeast of Nineveh, the palace town of Dun Sargina, "the fort of
Sargon," one of the most luxurious palaces--the Versailles of Nineveh.
The ruins of this palace were buried beneath the mound of Korsabad,
and were explored by M. Botta on behalf of the French Government,
and the sculptures and inscriptions are now deposited in the Louvre.
Compared with all the Assyrian palaces, later or earlier, this royal
abode of Sargon stands alone. The sculptures were more magnificent,
while warmth and color were obtained by the extensive use of colored
bricks. Some of the cornices and friezes of painted bricks, of which
Mr. Boscawen exhibited drawings, were most rich in ornament. The chief
colors employed were blue and yellow, and sometimes red and green.
Having described the general construction of this remarkable building,
Mr. Boscawen proceeded to speak of the character of Assyrian art
during the golden age (B.C. 721-625), and he illustrated his remarks
by the exhibition of several large drawings. One of the most elaborate
of these was the embroidery on the royal robe. The pectoral was
covered with scenes taken from Babylonian myths. On the upper part
was Isdubar or Nimrod struggling with the lion; below this a splendid
representation of Merodach, as the warrior of the gods armed for
combat against the demon of evil, while the lower part was covered
with representations of the worship of the sacred tree. The general
character of Assyrian art, its attention to detail, and the wonderful
skill in representing animal life, as exhibited in the hunting scenes,
was next spoken of, and Mr. Boscawen concluded by a brief description
of the royal library, a most important part of the great palace at
Nineveh.
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