BABYLON AND PERSIA

406 MEDIA, BABYLON, AND PERSIA."No-HT it came to pass . . . that in those days, when the kingAhasuerus sat on the throne of his kingdom, -which was in Shushanthe palace, ... he made a feast unto all his pi-inces and servants ;the power of Persia and Media, the nobles and princes of the prov¬inces, being before him. "When he slibwed the riches of his gloriouskingdom, and the honor of his excellent majesty many days. .The king made a feast unto all the people that were present in Shu¬shan the palace ... in the court of the garden of the king'spalace; where were white, green, and blue hangings, fastened withcords of fine linen and purple to silver rings and pillars of marble ;tlie beds \i. e., the couches or seats] were of "gold and silver upon apavement of red, and blue, and white, and black marble." Andthey gave them, drink in vessels of gold ... and royal wine inabundance according to the slate of the king ..." (Book ofEsther, ch. I., 1-7).II. This same Xerxes, the son of Dareios, had apalace of his own at Persepolis, of comparativelysmall dimensions, but his principal constructionthere was a fine peristyle or waiting-hall which hebuilt at the head of the great western staircase.That such was its destination appears from thesculptures, as well as from the inscription, whichcalls it a "gate," and we can easily imagine somesuch apartment, where ambassadors, visitors, peti¬tioners, tribute-bringers, could await'the royal pleas¬ure, processions muster and form, etc., to be adesirable and even necessary addition to the throneandaudience-hall. Behind the " gate-building " cameanother pair of stairs, also constructed by Xerxes,and leading up to the second terrace, on which hehad erected, a little apart from his father's palace, anew reception-hall on a scale scarcely less magnificentthan that of Dareios. Seventeen of the seventy-twoblack marble columns are still standing, though in a