PERSIA AND THE CITY OF PERSEPOLIS

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ATIFAHSYAZWANIIZZUDIN

PERSEPOLIS 518 BCE King Darius utilized influences and materials from all over his empire, which

included Babylon, Egypt, Mesopotamian and Greece At the height of the Persian Empire it stretched from India to Africa Persia today is known as Iran The city included extensive use of columns

DARIUS THE GREAT

Member of the king’s body guard

Overthrew the king in 522 BC

Took power and created a well-organized efficient government

Brought peace and stability

Expanded the empire by 500 miles

But could not conquer Greece

PERSIA IS IN THE MODERN DAY IRAN

PLAN OF PERSEPOLIS

This great complex was created by at least three Persian monarchs (Darius, Xerxes, Antxxerxes) as one of the capitals of the Persian Empire. Its ruins reveal architectural influences from other cultures in Mesopotamia, notably the Hittites and Assyrians, as well as the Egyptians.

1. APADANA2. TREASURY3. DARIUS’S PALACE4. XERXES GATE5. STAIRWAY6. XERXES’S PALACE7. HAREM / QUEEN QUARTERS8. HALL OF HUNDRED COLUMNS9. HALL OF 32 COLUMNS10.TOMB OF ANTXXERXES III11.UNFINISHED GATE

PERSEPOLIS

1.APADANA (AUDIENCE HALL)Belongs to the oldest building phase of the palace complex, the grand design by Darius I the Great (r. 522 486).

On this place, the great king received the tribute from all the nations in the Achaemenid Empire, and gave presents in return.

One of the arguments to assume that this was the function of the Apadana, is the splendid relief on the eastern stairs, which consists of representations of all nations in the Achaemenid Empire.

It was clearly important, because the same relief was repeated on the northern stairs when the main entrance was moved from the east to the north. When people came to pay tribute, they saw on the stairs representations of themselves.

Perhaps, this festival was celebrated at the beginning of spring, when the Iranian nations celebrate Now Ruz, even today. Although this theory is attractive, and although the celebration of a gift exchange festival in the Apadana is very likely, there is no hard evidence for the date of its celebration.

the center part of the northern stairs shows king Darius on his throne, crown prince Xerxes behind him, two incense burners, and an important official, probably Pharnaces. He salutes the king, and announces the arrival of the tribute carriers, who are also represented on the wall near the stairs.

View from the southwest

A column base

The Chehel Sotun palace in Isfahan

The northeastern corner

The famous columns of the

Apadana

VOCABULARY WORDS

The COLUMN is divided into three parts:

The BASE

The SHAFT

The CAPITAL

This shaft is FLUTED

APADANA, NORTH STAIRSThe northern stairs of the Apadana at Persepolis are hard to date.

They may belong to the original design by Darius I the Great, but it seems more likely that they were built after Xerxes had ordered the building of the Gate of All Nations.

This was the official access to the terrace, and from here, the easiest entrance of the Apadana were its northern stairs.

Compared to the eastern stairs, the reliefs are of a rather poor quality.

The bales of wool that the Yauna carry on the eastern relief, were not understood by the sculptors of its northern counterpart, where they are carrying some kind of globe. The theme, however, is the same.

People are bringing tribute to the great king. Many courtiers are shown, like the Persians and Medes on the pictures below.

People are bringing tribute to the great king

fight between the lion and the bull is wellknown

APADANA, EAST STAIRS The eastern stairs of the Apadana at Persepolis

show a procession of people bringing tribute to the Achaemenid king.

The reliefs were made in the last years of the sixth century, and probably executed by Yaunâ artists.

We are allowed to identify the king on the central scene with Darius the Great (r. 522 486), but the relief is also an idealization: the king who receives the presents is not a particular individual, but embodies Persian rule.

1. The northern wall: representations of all kinds of Persian dignitaries, horsemen, and chariots.

2. The center: eight soldiers and the sun god.3. The southern wall (picture below): all nations of

the Persian Empire

2. TREASURYBelongs to the oldest building phase of persepolis, the great design by king Darius I the great.

One of the most important symbols of the great king's power

Many people were employed to keep the gold and silver shining

No less than 1348 people were employed in the treasury (here seen from the southeast). It was rebuilt several times.

3. DARIUS’S PALACE The palace known as Taçara, "winter

palace", in Persepolis was, according to the inscription known as DPa, built by king Darius I the Great.

However, the great king did not live to see it finished. It was completed after his death in 486 by his son and successor Xerxes, as we can read in an inscription he left behind (XPc). Its ruins are immediately south of the Apadana.

Compared to Xerxes' Palace, the Apadana and the Treasury, Taçara has remained well preserved. The big stone structures have survived; only the parts of wood have vanished.

THE PALACE OF DARIUS

The Palace seen from south

Palace of Darius

The southern facadeThe palace, seen from the south

The western entrance, added by Artaxerxes III Ochus

4. XERXES GATE The construction of the Stairs of All Nations and the Gate of All Nations was ordered by the Achaemenid king Xerxes (486- 465)

The successor of the founder of Persepolis, Darius I the Great .

Like Gate R in Pasargadae, the entrance of the Gate of All Nations was protected by bulls .

The entire monument was a giant construction with two large doors in the west and east and a hall between them .

The columns of the central halls were 16 meters high

Gate of all Nations, eastern entrance

A lamassu; eastern entrance of the Gate of All Nations

5.STAIRWAYThe construction of the large Stairs of All Nations in Persepolis was ordered by king Xerxes(486-465).

The son and successor of the founder of the city, Darius I the Great.

The individual stairs are very low.

This was to enable horsemen to climb to the terrace.

The first building one encountered upstairs, was the Gate of All Nation.

It inspired the Parthian architects of the sanctuary in Konkoba .

STAIRCASE TO THE UPPER TERRACE, PERSEPOLIS, IRAN, CA. 518 BCE.

Isolated columns from the Apadana of Darius are

visible, with doorways from Darius’s palace in the

background

6. PALACE OF XERXESThe palace of Xerxes at Persepolis, called Hadiš in Persian, "dwelling place", was twice as large as the Palace of Darius.

The house of Xerxes is badly damage it’s likely explanation is that it received a special treatment when the Macedonian king Alexander the Great destroyed Persepolis in 330.

The main room had 36 columns and was surrounded by six smaller rooms: three to the east, and three to the west.

PREPARED TO BE DESTROYED

from the right are partly due to natural causes

face has been destroyed with a hammer, and someone must have made a great effort to create a hole near the king's ear

7.HAREM\ QUEEN QUARTERS The "Queen's Quarters" or "harem" is the name of several buildings in the southeastern part of the terrace of Persepolis .

The name "harem" is perhaps better avoided. It should be stressed that Achaemenid harems never existed and are in fact an invention by western scholars.

The decoration of the Queen's Quarters is not very different from the rooms of the king reliefs of royal warriors fighting against lions.

8.HALL OF 100 COLUMNSStarted by the Achaemenid king Xerxes; the building was finished by his son and successor Artaxerxes I Makrocheir (465 424) .

Second largest building , 70x70 meters.

The entrance was to the north, where a portico was decorated by two large bulls.

The entrances themselves two on each of the four sides of the square building were decorated with the usual motifs:. audience scenes, throne scenes, and "royal warriors" fighting against wild animal

A bull at the northern gateIn front the Garrison Quarters

One of the entrancesHall of 100 columns

Hall of Hundred Columns; in front the Garrison Quarters

The entrance was to the north, where a portico was decorated by two large bulls. The entrances themselves - two on each of the four sides of the square building - were decorated with the usual motifs:. audience scenes, throne scenes, and "royal warriors" fighting against wild animals.

A bull at the northern gate The entrances

Its function was changed and it became a store room, probably because the Treasury had become too small to contain all treasures that were hoarded in Persepolis.A new function may have been envisioned, however, because Artaxerxes III Ochus was building a new road and a new gate to the palace, suggesting that the Hall of Hundred Columns might have been used for audience.

Audience scene on one of the entrances: the king receives the mayor of the palace

People carrying the king's throne Throne scene on one of the entrances: the king and a servant with a fly

whisk

Reconstruction

Part of the canopy above the audience scene, decorated with

flowers, bulls, and lions

9. HALL OF 32 COLUMN The Hall of thirty two columns in Persepolis (map 9) was built by Artaxerxes III Ochus (358 338), but its function is unclear .

. It had one portico, but was essentially a closed building.

Portico

This blue faience.

10.TOMB OF ANXERXES IIIThere are six finished Achaemenid royal tombs. Four of them have been discovered at Naqš i Rustam and two at Persepolis .

The four at Naqš i Rustam belong to Darius I the Great, Xerxes, Artaxerxes I Makrocheir, and Darius II Nothus.

The relieff on the upper part of the tomb shows the king sacrificing to the eternal, sacred fire and the supreme god Ahuramazda .

The capitals of the pilasters of this tomb are especially well preserved, they show bulls carrying the roof.

the motif of "carrying" is repeated on the upper level, where people carry the platform with the king

Bull capital

Fourth century relief from Egypt, showing an Achaemenid king, probably Artaxerxes III (Allard Piersonmuseum, Amsterdam

11.UNFINISHED GATEConstruction of the Unfinished Gate of Persepolis (map 11) was probably started by king Artaxerxes III Ochus (358 338), and ought to have been continued by his successors Artaxerxes IV Arses (338- 336) and Darius III Codomannus (336 -330).

There was civil war going , this probably caused why the gate is never finished .

TRIPYLONThe Tripylon ("triple gate") of Persepolis can be found between theApadana and the Hall of Hundred Columns. This suggests that it was built after the completion of these two buildings, but this is no more than a speculation. Other scholars argue for an earlier date.

The three gates were decorated

Eastern gate, we can see the king sitting on his throne, attended by the crown prince.

The southern and northern gates showed the king with an attendant, leaving the building. Both representations are well-known; parallels can be seen in a/o the Palace of Xerxes and the Hall of Hundred Columns.

Eastern gateSouthern gate

In fact a meeting place, where the king could receive his advisers They call it the Council hall.

Others stress that it is just a monumental corridor between three buildings. The fact that there is sufficient room between the gates to host several people, is not really decisive; the interior of the Gate of All Nations is also pretty spacious, and this does not mean that it served as a meeting place.

The capitals of the four columns in the hall represented a man's head with a bull's body.

These mythological beings are called lamassu's and originated in Babylonia and Assyria.

The Persians adopted them and we can see them in Persepolis in the Gate of All Nations.

The general idea behind lamassu's is that they warded off evil; therefore, they are usually placed in a gate. This might suggest that the Tripylon was a gate too (and not a Council Hall), but these lamassu's served as capitals, which is unusual.

To the north of the building is a flight of stairs, decorated with guardsmen. If you descend the stairs, you're close to the Eastern stairs of the Apadana.

STAIRCASE NORTH OF THE TRYPILON AND

DETAIL

Persepolis was largely destroyed by a vengeful Alexander, when it remained as

capital of a Macedonian province, but gradually declined. The south wall still bears Darius’ inscription, ‘God protect

this country from foe, famine and falsehood’. He didn’t, but enough of

Persepolis remains to make it one of the world’s most impressive monuments.

PERSIAN ARTPersepolis, Iran

Apadana with huge columns 60 feets tall

36 columns with bull-shaped tops

Reliefs on walls symbolize Persian guards called Immortals

10,000 Immortals protected the city and ruler

Large ramps leading to apadana enable chariots to enter hall

SATRAPS

PERSIAN ARCHITECTURE•Persian architecture has made the greatest contribution to the world’s culture.

•Although Persian architecture styles differ from any Islamic styles today, they have influenced many building work through much of the Islamic world.

•Persian style of architecture also has influenced Islam, Central Asia, Afghanistan, Pakistan and India as well in structures all over their history.

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