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PARTHIAN

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Originally appearing in Volume V02, Page 381 of the 1911 Encyclopedia Britannica.
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PARTHIAN See also:

ARCHITECTURE The architecture of the Parthian See also:dynasty, who from 250 B.C. to A.D. 226 occupied the greater See also:part of See also:Mesopotamia, their See also:empire in 16o B.C. extending over 480,000 sq. m., was quite unknown until See also:Sir A. H. See also:Layard, following in the steps of See also:Ross and See also:Ainsworth, visited and measured the See also:plan of the See also:palace at Hatra (el Hadr) about 30 M. See also:south of See also:Mosul; the architecture of this palace shows that, on the one See also:hand, the Parthians carried on the traditions of the See also:barrel vault of the See also:Assyrian palace, and on the other, from their contact with Hellenistic methods of See also:building, had acquired considerable knowledge in the working of See also:ashlar See also:masonry. El Hadr is first mentioned in See also:history as having been unsuccessfully besieged by See also:Trajan in A.D. 116, and it is recorded to have been a walled See also:town containing a See also:temple of the See also:sun, celebrated for the value of its offerings. The temple referred to is probably the large square building at the back of the palace, as above the See also:door-way is a See also:rich See also:frieze carved with griffins, similar to those found at Warka by See also:Loftus, together with large quantities of Parthian coins. The remains (fig. 18) consist of a See also:block of 38o ft. frontage, facing See also:east, and 128 ft. deep, subdivided by walls of See also:great thickness, See also:running at right angles to the See also:main front, and built in an immense See also:court, divided down the centre by a FIG. 18.–Plan of Palace of See also:wall, separating that portion on el Hadr. the south See also:side, where the temple A, See also:Throne or reception See also:room. was situated, from that on the B, Large See also:hall, or See also:north side, which constituted C, Entrance hall of temple.

the See also:

king's palace. The seven D, Temple. subdivisions of the different widths were all covered with semi-circular barrel vaults which, being built side by side, mutually resisted the thrust, the See also:outer walls being of greater thickness, with the same See also:object. In the centre of the south block was an immense hall 44 ft. wide and 98 ft. deep, which formed the See also:vestibule to the temple in the See also:rear; this vestibule was flanked by a See also:series of three smaller halls on either side, over which there was probably a second See also:floor. On the palace or north side were l-~`A Iillllll il ~ t,~ ~6! P;IIflIIiIP I I!llI lIilI!See also:IlI ~IIIIIiII III r two great aiwans or reception halls. The main front (fig. 19) was built in finely jointed ashlar masonry with semicircular attached shafts between the entrance doorways, which had semicircular heads, every third See also:voussoir of the three larger doors being decorated by busts in strong See also:relief with a headgear similar to that shown on Parthian coins; other carvings, with the See also:acanthus See also:leaf, belonged to that type of Syrio-See also:Greek See also:work, of which Loftus found so many wtlt^01^^^ IN^=^=^^^^Mml'1^^^^^^ou II= St IN •11111W • MN MINN 111111= •11111•11MIlle A a= as li I 11^.^.0 See also:IIII O%-••C111p~~.~See also:min mImmmmom 1., ~ ..•• 111111111111Y1.^^MIMP Oa' ,^^vIIBN. ^ ^^~i^i 111 11^1'OI1 Wlli^!^1^I is^,,See also:ICI^•^^^YI1U 1311 trmjl .11X11.. !See also:oils ,.lM 11l 71.I11I11..~11111'.I=? ==11.111 !~^~~^~ItlI 11 Wn II ~Y~IHI~" ~ ~II~II II~ ~' 11~ A..Illt~ .See also:Ill l.. III l~!Iz` 1111 mum !~.1 tll.

11.1.1' IIIII ..Lil.Is tlIII_ 1 um same ii.!R HIM IIUUR .11.E -I. •1.11 AA ^! lI 1/11.1lI1.11 'MIN IIIII. I.1!I 9uuI., U ul..a1 am lmpp.R!IUIIn ^I.0 . I/M I. Iy Yr ili'.e lul I~~lii See also:

Scale of Peer Io 5 o ro ao 31, 4? 50 examples at Warka (Loftus, See also:Chaldaea, Susiana, p. 225). In the great See also:mosque of Diarbekr are two wings at the north and south ends respectively, which are said to have been Parthian palaces built by See also:Tigranes, 74 B.C.; they have evidently been rearranged or rebuilt at various times, the columns with their capitals and the See also:entablature having been utilized again. The shafts of the columns of the upper See also:storey are richly carved with geometrical patterns similar to those found by Loftus at Warka. The See also:American researches at See also:Nippur have resulted in the See also:discovery on the See also:top of the mounds of the remains of a Parthian palace; and the disposition of its plan (fig. 20), and the See also:style of the columns of From Prof. H.

V. Hilprecht's Exploration in See also:

Bible Lands, by permission of A. J. See also:Holman & Co. and T. & T. See also:Clark. the peristylar court, show so strong a resemblance to Greek work as to suggest the same Hellenistic See also:influence as in the palace of el Hadr. Having no See also:stone, however, they were obliged to build up these columns at Nippur with sections in See also:brick, covered afterwards with See also:stucco. The columns diminished at the top to about one-fifth of the See also:lower See also:diameter, and would seem to have had an See also:entasis, as the lower portion up to one-third of the height is nearly See also:vertical. A similar palace was discovered at Tello by the See also:French archaeologists, and the bases of some of the brick columns are in the Louvre. (R. P.

End of Article: PARTHIAN

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