In the first place, they are too wide apart, being at the distance from one another of seventeen feet, whereas no doorway on the platform exceeds a width of twelve or thirteen feet.

In the second place, if these massive stone bases were prepared for the jambs of doors, it could only have been for massive stone jambs like those of the other palaces; but in that case, the jambs could not have disappeared.

Thirdly, if the doorways on this side were thus marked, why were they not similarly marked on the other sides of the building?
On the whole, the supposition of M.Flandin, that the bases were pedestals for ornamental statues, perhaps of bulls, seems more probable than that of Mr.Fergusson; though, no doubt, there are objections also to M.Flandin's hypothesis, and it would be perhaps best to confess that we do not know the use of these strange foundations, which have nothing that at all resembles them upon the rest of the platform.
Another strong objection to Mr.Fergusson's theory, and one of which he, to a certain extent, admits the force, is the existence of drains, running exactly in the line of his side walls, which, if such walls existed, would be a curious provision on the part of the architect for undermining his own work.

Mr.Fergusson supposes that they might be intended to drain the walls themselves and keep them dry.

But as it is clear that they must have carried off the whole surplus water from the roof of the building, and as there is often much rain and snow at Persepolis, their effect on the foundations of such a wall as Mr.
Fergusson imagines would evidently be disastrous in the extreme.
To these minute and somewhat technical objections may be added the main one, whereof all alike can feel the force--namely, the entire disappearance of such a vast mass of building as Mr.Fergusson's hypothesis supposes.