 |
Audience Hall of Darius and Xerxes
Persepolis, Iran. Persian. c. 520-465 B.C.E. Limestone
It was the largest building of the complex, supported by numerous columns and lined on three sides with open porches. The palace had a grand hall in the shape of a square, each side 60m long with seventy-two columns, thirteen of which still stand on the enormous platform. Relief artwork, originally painted and sometimes gilded, covered the walls of the Apadana depicting warriors defending the palace complex. |
Content:
- 72 columns
- each 24 meters tall
- extremely intricate
- The column capitals were animals
- bulls, eagles, and lions; all symbols of royalty
- 2 monumental staircases
- The walls were carved with illustrations of hundreds of figures bringing offerings to the king from all the states conquered by the Persian Empire
|
Form:
- Carved primarily of Limestone
- The carvings on the walls were bas-relief
- Display the importance and authority of the King
- The column capitals were high-relief
- Only a few examples remain
- The hall was hypostyle architecture
- columns holding up the roof
|
Context:
- Built in Persepolis in the Persian Empire, modern day Iran
- 6th century BCE
- Built by Darius I
- The Persian empire was very tolerant for the era
- represented in the bas-relief carvings displaying all the ethnic groups the Persians conquered
- Was later conquered by Alexander the Great
- Even he was impressed by the Persian empire and culture as he respectfully buried the last Persian Emperor (Darius III)
|
Function:
- Represent the expansive nature of the Persian Empire and Emperor's power
- Ceremonial Hall
- Served as the center of the Persian Empire's capital
|
