[Footnote 96: Nebuchadnezzar has left us a description of his building of the gateway in the "East India House Inscription," Col. v., 1. 55, Col. vi., 1. 21 (see Rawlinson, "Cun. Inscr. West. Asia," I., pl. 56, and cf. Langdon, "Neubab. Königsinschriften," p. 132 f.). He records how he decorated the building with wild oxen and dragons in enamelled brick, roofed it with cedar, and set up in it doors which he sheathed in copper and fitted with thresholds and hinges of bronze. He also set bronze oxen and dragons beside the entrances; bases for some of these appear to have been found by the excavators.] [Footnote 97: Fig. 14, B and D. In the plan the structure of the gateway, built of burnt brick, is indicated in black. The adjacent fortification-walls, of unburnt brick, are hatched; so too are the areas covered by parts of the temple of Ninmakh and the palace.] [Footnote 98: The outer gate-house (B) has doors 1 and 2; the doors of the inner gatehouse (D) are numbered 3 and 4.] [Footnote 99: C.] [Footnote 100: Fig. 15.] [Footnote 101: Figs. 14 and 15, Nos. 3 and 4.] [Footnote 102: See above, p. 28, Fig. 5.] [Footnote 103: Nos. 1 and 2.] [Footnote 104: Fig. 16.] [Footnote 105: Fig. 15, _a_ and _b._] [Footnote 106: Fig. 15, _c._] [Footnote 107: The adornment of the gate's foundations, as well as its upper structure, with reliefs, may in part be explained by their temporary use in flanking the roadway during construction. But the decoration of sacred buildings was not intended merely for the purpose of artistic display. It had a deeper significance, based on the belief that the use of sacred emblems ensured the protection of their tutelary deities. And this perhaps offers the best explanation of the presence of the Weather-god's Bull, and of Marduk's Dragon, upon the foundation-walls of the building. The lion, Ishtar's own emblem in her character as the goddess of war, was employed, as we shall see (cf. p. 58), upon the two walls leading to her gate.] [Footnote 108: See Fig. 15; its position is indicated in the southern doorway (2) of the outer gate-house. This was the first part of the gateway to be discovered, as it stands higher than the rest.] [Footnote 109: See Fig. 17.] [Footnote 110: The same process was employed for the Lion Frieze to the north of the gateway; see below, p. 59.]