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1 64 History of Art in ANTiQurrv. Cyrus, and better still, perhaps, to his grandfather Ariaramnes, the last sovereign of Fars," We shall not stop to show the improbability of an hypothesis that would ascribe a dual origin to the buildings. But we may point out that the rubble of which the walls were made is too coarse ever to have been left uncovered, and must have been concealed by some kind of veil. Had it received two successive coatings, the older would show in such places as have peeled off ; whereas a glance at the photographs represent- ing the interior of palaces proves that no such thing exists.' Neither shall we press Dieulafoy to tell us if, even conjecturally, any one is entitled to say whether twenty years or two hundred elapsed between the erection of the two palaces. Deliberate state- ments such as these are only possible where^ — as in the history of Greek architecture, for example — numerous buildings exist, of which many are dated ; then, and only then, wt are in a position to measure with a])proxi- mate certainty the length of the in- tervals that interpose between the different limits of the series, though even then cases may exist respect- in which it is not easy to pronounce. Art does not advance with uniform step in every part of the same region. Hence it is that in Greece, from one valley to another, occur gaps and delays in the unfolding of culture, apt to dig many a pilfall for a too hasty and asserting criticism. Not to dwell longer on these details, we will confine ourselves to dis- cussing the gist of the thesis lately put forth by Dieulafoy.' The palace at Feruz-Abad is 103 m. 46 c. long, by 55 m. 50 c wide (Fig. 75). The principal entrance, with a circular fountain in front, fed by a copious spring, faces north, and offers the ' DiFA i.AFOv, IJArl aniiquf, torn, iv., Plates XIV.-XVI. ^ Two views of the present stale of the palaces at Feruz-Abad and Sarvisun, ami a tmnsvene section of the latter, will be fonad in HitU ^Art, vol ii. Figs. 52-5$. Fig. 7s.—l lan of palace at Fenu Abad. Flandin and Cosn, Ptm Plate XXXIX. Digitized by Gi: