Persia

Babylon fell to the Persians in the 6^th century B.C.  By 480 B.C., the Persian empire was the largest in the world — extending from the Indus River to the Danube River.  As we shall see, the Persians were also the great nemesis of the ancient Greeks. 

Persepolis, Iran, ca. 521-465 B.C.

The center of the Persian empire was the palace at Persepolis, built between 521 and 465 B.C. by Darius I and Xerxes.  It was located on a wide plateau and heavily fortified.  Much of the palace was destroyed by Alexander the Great — but is still an impressive structure.  The dominant feature was a vast columned hall — 60 feet high and more than 200 square feet in area.  It was known as the apadana and stood on a rock cut podium. We can see it in the center-left of the above photograph.  Note the ceremonial staircase and the tall columns that remain.

 Persepolis, Iran, ca. 521-465 B.C., ceremonial staircase

The ceremonial staircase was ornamented with relief sculpture.  Stylistically, it was rounder and projects more (i.e. is a higher relief) than the Assyrian sculpture.  Originally, these sculptures were painted. The figures in this sculpture included royal guards, Persian nobles and dignitaries, and representatives from 23 subject nations bringing tribute to the king.  Above is a detail of the sculptural program with the seated king and one of his subjects. 

Persepolis, Iran, ca. 521-465 B.C., Bull capital

This is one of the capitals from the apadana.  The capital of a column is the decorative ornament at the very top (we will study this architectural vocabulary in detail when we get to the ancient Greeks).  In this case, we see the front torsos of two bulls.  The area in between them would have supported a large cross beam.