20/70 Ecbatana, the cool summer retreat of the Persian kings, was defended by seven encircling walls of hewn and polished blocks, the interior ones in succession of increasing height, and of different colors, in astrological accordance with the seven planets. The palace was roofed with silver tiles, its beams were plated with gold. At midnight, in its halls the sunlight was rivaled by many a row of naphtha cressets. A paradise--that luxury of the monarchs of the East--was planted in the midst of the city. The Persian Empire, from the Hellespont to the Indus, was truly the garden of the world. |