Palace hall (Themiclesia)
A palace hall (殿, ntenh) is a physical, cultural, and political space in Themiclesia a derivative of the same from Menghe.
Etymology
The word ntenh in Shinasthana is thought to be related to tur via the prefix n-, Old Menghean *N-tun-s. However, this etymology is not firmly established due to phonological incompatibility. If true, ntenh would have originally meant a plateau or high ground of some kind, which would be congruous with the physical characteristics of a palace hall in Themiclesia, which is always built on an artificial plateau. Thus ntenh would have originally referred the foundation of the building.
It should be noted that the term "palace hall" should not be confused with a "hall" by itself, since a palace hall includes structures peripheral to the hall as a standalone building. Early Casaterran translators observed that the palace hall had a private staff that was distinct from the broader palace and thus resembled a "palace within a palace". Many government buildings, warehouses, workshops, gardens, garrisons and even prisons were also within the broader "palace" defined by its outermost walls, which enclosed about 1,300 acres and seemed more like a government district than palace in sensu stricto.
Physical characteristics
The lateral cutaway diagram below, based on the actual design of the Kaw-men Hall of Hên-lang Palace, illustrates a palace hall as is typical of Themiclesian architecture in the dynastic period between 256 to 542. Grey lines indicate rooflines that are not on the cutaway pane but are of interest.
The palace hall almost always includes an elevation or dais on which most of its structures are built. There are numerous theories why this practice originated. Cultural explanations have arisen that the occupant was usually royalty or a comparable figure, so their residences should also be elevated off the ground, but this may not have been the actual reason. A wall encloses the elevated dais, on whose inner side is a roofed walkway, whose eaves project over the wall to protect it from rainwater. This is usually called the gallery (廊, rang) or cloister after Casaterran usage. Within the enclosed area, and usually to its rear, is the actual hall building, which may sit on a smaller elevation in some examples. There are usually three gates that offer access, by means of ramps, to the dais; these are opposite and flanking the hall building. There is typically no gate to the rear of the hall building.
Cultural characteristics
The space within the walls and before the building is called the lêng (廷). When the palace hall's occupant held court, those attending stood in the lêng until summoned.
The palace hall of the emperor, which was named the Front Hall (dzên-ntenh) after Menghean usage in 542, was also subject to a variety of different laws that emphasized the supremacy of the emperor and defended him against possible threats. Since the Front Hall was regarded as the emperor's home, household etiquette was rigidified greatly around it. In typical homes, the left and right steps that led to the hall building had different purposes. Facing the same direction as the building, the left set of steps was deemed the host's steps, and the right set, the guest's steps. The emperor, as host, used the left-side steps, while peer visitors used the right-side steps. However, junior royalty and the emperor's subjects used the left-side steps to indicate that they did not view themselves as peer guests to the emperor. Since courtiers far outnumbered peer visitors, the left-side steps were frequently under repair, while the right-side one was not; thus, architectural historians have noted that right-side steps are almost always more archaic in tastes and fashions than left-side steps.
The emperor usually travelled on a man-pulled carriage in the palace hall. All subjects are required to dismount at the gatehouses. In the early 6th century, it was debated if the emperor should also dismount to show better respect; however, it was decided that the purpose of dismounting is to show respect, and the emperor should not elevate his own status by showing respect to himself or his home. The same rule also applied to wearing shoes and socks, the emperor being the only person allowed to wear socks in the palace hall.