ide doors of
smaller size less richly decorated.

[Illustration: 403.jpg ONE OF THE GATES OF THE PALACE AT DUR-SHARRUKIN]

Drawn by Faucher-Gudin, from the restoration by Thomas, in
Place.

Saragon resided at Caleh, where he had taken up his quarters in the
former palace of Assur-nazir-pal, while his new city was still in
the hands of the builders. Every moment that he could spare from his
military and administrative labours was devoted to hastening on the
progress of the work, and whenever he gained a victory or pillaged a
district, he invariably set aside a considerable part of the booty in
order to meet the outlay which the building involved. Thus we find that
on returning from his tenth campaign he brought with him an immense
convoy laden with timber, stone, and precious metals which he had
collected in the neighbourhood of Mount Taurus or among the mountains of
Assyria, including coloured marbles, lapis-lazuli, rock crystal, pine,
cedar, and cypress-wood, gold, silver, and bronze, all of which was
destined for Dur-Sharrukin; the quantity of silver included among these
materials was so great that its value fell to a level with that of
copper.

[Illustration: 404.jpg PLAN OF THE EXCAVATED PORTIONS OF THE PALACE AT
DUR-SHARRUKIN]

Drawn by Faucher-Gudin, from the plan by Thomas, in Place.

The interior of the building, as in the case of the old Chaldaean
palaces, was separated into two well-marked divisions. The larger of
these was used by the king in his public capacity, and to this the
nobles and soldiers, and even the common people, were admitted under
certain conditions and on certain days prescribed by custom. The outer
court was lined on three sides by warehouses and depots, in which were
stored the provisions, commodities, and implements required for the host
of courtiers and slaves who depended on the sovereign for support. Each
room had, as may still be seen, its own special purpose. There were
cellars for wine and oil, with their rows of large oblong jars; then
there were store-rooms for implements of iron, which Place found full
of rusty helmets, swords, pieces of armour, maces, and ploughshares;
a little further on were rooms for the storage of copper weapons,
enamelled bricks, and precious metals, and the king's private treasury,
in which were hidden away the spoils of the vanquished or the regular
taxes paid by his subjects; some fine bronze lions of marvellous
workmanship and life