ABSTRACT
The new dynasty, which tried to restore the ancient empire of Cyrus and Darius I, and succeeded at least in collecting into a single body the parts which tended to break away under the semi-feudal government of the Arsacids, and in extending the frontiers almost to where they had been before, did not have the architects which it deserved; at least, methods of construction had changed, and the buildings made of inferior materials, have not resisted weather and all the other causes of destruction. The monuments which the Sassanids have left are in a wretched condition. They are of no interest save to architects, and archæologists are happy if they can find, here and there, a carved capital or details of ornament which add to their knowledge of the stage of development reached by the arts in this period.
