The five great monarchies of the ancient eastern world; or, The history, geography, and antiquites of Chaldaea, Assyria, Babylon, Media, and Persia . 392 THE SECOND MONARCHY. Chap. VI. resembling dogs. But one of M. Places architecturaldiscoveries seems to make it possible, or even pro-bable, that a real feature in Assyrian building ishere represented. M. Place found the arch of thetown gateway, which he exhumed at Khorsabad, to spring from the backsof the two bulls whichguarded it on eitherside.^ Thus the lionsat the base of the pillarsmay be real architec-tural forms as well asthe winged bul
The five great monarchies of the ancient eastern world; or, The history, geography, and antiquites of Chaldaea, Assyria, Babylon, Media, and Persia . 392 THE SECOND MONARCHY. Chap. VI. resembling dogs. But one of M. Places architecturaldiscoveries seems to make it possible, or even pro-bable, that a real feature in Assyrian building ishere represented. M. Place found the arch of thetown gateway, which he exhumed at Khorsabad, to spring from the backsof the two bulls whichguarded it on eitherside.^ Thus the lionsat the base of the pillarsmay be real architec-tural forms as well asthe winged bulls whichsupport the lion was undoubt-edly a sacred animal,emblematic of divinepower, and speciallyassigned to Nergal, theAssyrian Mars, the godat once of war and of: hunting. His introduc-! tion on the exteriorsof buildings was com-^^^^ mon in Asia Minor;but no other exampleoccurs of his beingmade to support a pillar, excepting in the so-calledByzantine architecture of Northern Italy. No. yila (opposite) introduces us to another kind. Porch of the Cathedral, Trent. 7 See Layavds Montiments ofNineveh, 2nd series, PI. 51; and com-pare Nineveh and Bahylon, p. similar treatment of divine fisiures CuUimores Cylinders, Nos. 19, 20,30, 55, 96, &c.) Journal Asiatiqiie, Aout, 1853,p. 150 ; Fergnsson, Ilandhooh of common upon the Cylinders. (See Architecttire, vol. i. p. 173. Chap. VI. TEMPLE TOWEKS OR ZIGGUEATS. 393 of Assyrian temple, or perhaps it should rather be saidto another feature of Assyrian temples—common tothem with Babylonian—the tower or ziggurat. This y^^m
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