o the great king,
these articles appear carried in the hands, or on the shoulders, of the
envoys, but they are in general too indistinctly traced for us to
pronounce with any confidence upon their character. [PLATE CXLVI., Fig.
1]

[Illustration: PLATE 146]

Shalmaneser had the same taste as his father for architecture and the
other arts. He completed the _ziggurat_ of the Great Temple of Nin at
Calah, which his father had left unfinished, and not content with the
palace of that monarch, built for himself a new and (probably) more
magnificent residence on the same lofty platform, at the distance of
about 150 yards. This edifice was found by Mr. Layard in so ruined a
condition, through the violence which it had suffered, apparently at the
hands of Esarhaddon, that it was impossible either to trace its plan or
to form a clear notion of its ornamentation. Two gigantic winged bulls,
partly destroyed, served to show that the grand portals of the chambers
were similar in character and design to those of the earlier monarch,
while from a number of sculptured fragments it was sufficiently plain
that the walls had been adorned with bas-reliefs of the style used in
Asshur-izir-pal's edifice. The only difference observable was in the
size and subjects of the sculptures, which seemed to have been on a
grander scale and more generally mythological than those of the
North-West palace.

The monument of Shalmaneser which has attracted most attention in this
country is an obelisk in black marble, similar in shape and general
arrangement to that of Asshur-izir-pal, already described, but of a
handsomer and better material. This work of art was discovered in a
prostrate position under the debris which covered up Shalmaneser's
palace. It contained bas-reliefs in twenty compartments, five on each of
its four sides; the space above, between, and below then being covered
with cuneiform writing, sharply inscribed in a minute character. The
whole was in most excellent preservation.

The bas-reliefs represent the monarch, accompanied by his vizier and
other chief officers, receiving the tribute of five nations, whose
envoys are ushered into the royal presence by officers of the court, and
prostrate themselves at the Great King's feet ere they present their
offerings. The gifts brought are, in part, objects carried in the
hand--gold, silver, copper in bars and cubes, goblets, elephants' tusks,
tissues, and the like--in part, animals such as