PERSIAN CIVILIZATION

NOTES BY AKSHATHA NAIK

 INTRODUCTION
• The most success fulcultures became empires withcontrol ove r vas t areas. One of the most
success fulempires in the Near Eas t, however,was the PersianEmpire.
• The empire 's lifespanwas fromaround539 BCE to 651 CE.
• Persia was situated in modern-day Iran.
• The empire spanned fromEgypt to Turkey.The expansionoccurredunder the rule of rulers like
Cyrus II, Darius and Xerxes.
• Extendingits boundaries into culture- richareas like Egypt andGreece,Persia influencedandwas
influencedby many of the surrounding native groups.

NOTES BY AKSHATHA NAIK

 INTRODUCTION
• The PersianEmpireis any of a series of imperialdynasties centered in Persia (now Iran). The firs t of
these was establishedby Cyrus the great in 550 BC, with the Persianconquest
of Media, Lydia and Babylonia.
• Persiandynastic history was interruptedby the Islamic Conques t (651 AD) andlater by the Mongol
Invasion.
• Many of us have heard of the early civilizationslike Egypt and Mesopotamia.In these regions,
civilizationbeganwith the inventionof writing,creationof beautiful works of art anddevelopment
of urban cities. As cultures eme rged, fighting for landand resources became common.

NOTES BY AKSHATHA NAIK

 GENERALARCHITECTUR ALFEATURES
• The architectureof Persians was more columnarand that led to vas tly differentmassive
architecturalfeatures from that of the Mesopotamianera.
• The use of flat timber roofs rather than vaults led to more slendercolumns and were rather
more graceful.
• This also led to rooms being squarer inshape than simple long rectangle.
• The roofing sys temwas also ve ry different,wherein the wooden brackets were cove red in
clayand providedmore stability.
• The use of a double mudwall might have provided room for windows just below ceilingin
structures like Palace of Persepolis.

NOTES BY AKSHATHA NAIK

 ACHAE ME NIDARCHITECTUR E

• Achaemenidarchitecture includes all architecturalachievements of

the AchaemenidPersians manifes tingin constructionof spectacularcities used for gove rnance
andinhabitation(Persepolis,Susa, Ecbatana), temples made for worship andsocial gatherings
(such as Zoroastrian temples),and Mausoleums erected in honor of fallenkings (such as the
burial tomb of Cyrus the Great).
• The quintessentialfeature of Persianarchitecturewas its eclecticnature withelements of
Median,Assyrian, andAsiatic Greek all incorporated,yet maintaininga unique Persianidentity
seenin the finished product.
• Achaemenidarchitectureis academicallyclassifiedunder PersianArchitecture in terms of its
style and design

NOTES BY AKSHATHA NAIK

 ACHAE ME NIDARCHITECTUR E
• Achaemenidarchitecturalheritage,beginningwith the expansionof the empire around550
B.C.E.,was a period of artistic growth that left an extraordinary architecturallegacy ranging
fromCyrus the Great's solemntomb in Pasargadae to the splendid structures of the opulent city
of Persepolis.
• With the advent of the SecondPersianEmpire, the Sassanid dynasty (224–624 C.E.), revived
Achaemenidtraditionby constructionof temples dedicated to fire, and monumentalpalaces.
• Perhaps the most striking extant structures to date are the ruins of Persepolis,a once opulent
cityestablishedby the Achaemenidking, Darius the great for gove rnmental andceremonial
functions, andalso acting as one of the empire 's four capitals.
• Persepolis,would take 100 years to comple teand would finallybe ransacked andburnt by the
troops of Alexander the great in330 B.C.E.
• Similararchitecturalinfrastructures were also erected at Susa and Ecbatana by Darius the Great,
serving similarfunctions as Persepolis,such as receptionof foreigndignitariesand delegates,
performanceof imperialceremonies andduties, andalso housing the kings.

NOTES BY AKSHATHA NAIK

 MAUS OLEUMOF CYRUS THE GRE AT
• The site of Pasa rga dae(whichwas then the capital city of the PersianEmpire) compromises of
four free standing structures.
• Centeredon a citadel,a residential palace, the tomb of Cyrus anda sacred precinct.The Tomb
of Cyrus, despite having ruled ove r muchof the ancient world, Cyrus the Great would designa
tomb that depic ts extreme simplicityandmodesty when compared to those of other ancient
kings and rulers.
• The simplicityof the structure has a powerful effect on the viewer, since aside froma fewcyma
moldings below the roof and a small rosette above its small entrance, there are no other stylis tic
distractions.
• This box like monument made of limestone measures 3.2mx 2.3m(10ft 6inx 7ft 6in)gabled and
standing on a platformwith 6 steps.

NOTES BY AKSHATHA NAIK

 MAUS OLEUMOF CYRUS THE GRE AT
• The feature is that of a typical Achaemenian
architecturalstyle withlarge blocks accurately
cut andsmoothly dressedwithout use of
mortarbut reinforcedby lead and iron.
• The edifice,or the "small house" is a
rectangular,elongatedcube that lies directly
on top of the pyramidal stone steps, and is 6’6”
(2m) in width x 6’6” (2m) in height,and 10 ft.
(3m) in length.
• The inside of the edifice is occupiedby a small
chambera few feet in width andheight,and
aroundten feet deep.
• It was inside this chamberwhere the bed and
coffinof Cyrus the Great would have been
situated.

NOTES BY AKSHATHA NAIK

 MAUS OLEUMOF CYRUS THE GRE AT
• The edificehas a pediment roof possessing the same lengthandwidth dimensions as the edifice
itself.
• Aroundthe tomb were a series of columns, the originalstructure whichthey supported is no
longerpresent.
• Arrian’s direct tes timony indicates that Cyrus the Great was indeed buriedin the chamberinside
the edifice, as he describes Alexanderseeing it during his visit to Pasargadae,but it is also a
possibility that the body of Cyrus the Great had beeninterred below the structure, and that the
tomb seen on the top is in fact a Cenotaphor a false tomb.

NOTES BY AKSHATHA NAIK

 MAUS OLEUMOF CYRUS THE GRE AT
• The re was originallya golden Coffininside the mausoleum, resting on a table withgolden
supports, inside of which the body of Cyrus the Great was interred.
• Uponhis resting place, was a cove ringof tapestry and drapes made from the bes t available
Babylonianmaterials,using fine Medianworkmanship; below his bed was a fine red carpe t,
cove ring the narrow rectangularbase of his tomb.

NOTES BY AKSHATHA NAIK

 THE CITYOF S US A
• The cityof SUSA was the Persiancapital in successionto Babylon, where there is a building with
a citadel complex.
• The re was a good skill set of artisans and labore rs availablewhichmade the palace complex
more of a piece of art than just a building structure.
• Cedarwood was got fromLebanonand teak from the mountainof Zagros.The baked bricks
were stillmade in the Babylonianmethod.

NOTES BY AKSHATHA NAIK

 THE PALACEOF PERS EP OLIS
• The work on palace of Persepolis beganin 518 BC and mostly was executed by Xerxes (son of
Darius ii) in 465 BC.
• The various buildings stood on a platformandwere partly excavated to findout the original
layout. The layout was 460mX 275m(1500ftX 900ft) and raising to an extent of 15m.
• The approachon the North West was by magnificentstairway 6.7mwide and shallowenough
for the hoses to ascend. A gateway by Xerxes had mudbrickwalls and front and rearportals
guardedby the winged bulls.

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 APADANA– AUDIENCEHALL

• A third gateway on the Southled towards Apadana, a grandaudience hall 76.2m(250 ft) square
hall with thirty six columns within 6m thickwall.
• It stood on an own terrace 3m highandhad three porticos each withdouble colonnades and
stairway on north andeas tern side. The re are minorrooms on the southern side of the hall.

NOTES BY AKSHATHA NAIK

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 THE PALACEOF DARIUS
• The size of the palace is smalle rby comparisonto the other structures in the complex,is present
on the south of the Apadana near the west terrace wall.
• This was finishedin his life time andalmost at the same period, the terraced “Tripylon” was also
finished.
• It lay centrallyamong the buildings andacted as the receptionchamberand guard room for
more private affairs of the palace.
• A treasury was also a contributionby Darius eventuallyinto the entire complex.

NOTES BY AKSHATHA NAIK

 THE PALACEOF XERXES

• The contributionof Darius in the complex

had all the buildings ve ry looselyarranged, in
between the exis ting buildings Xerxes made
his contribution.
• The palace of Xerxes was built in the South-
west angle, connectedwithan L shaped
building whichwas identifiedas women’s
quarters.
• The major contributionof Xerxes was the
hall of hundred columns whichwas his
throne room.
• The throne room was 68.6msquare room
withcolumns to a height of 11.3m
supporting a flat roof made of cedarwood.
• The walls were double except for the north
side where it had a portico facing the
apadana.
• The throne room had two doorways and
sevenwindows on the mainwall.

NOTES BY AKSHATHA NAIK

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 THE TOMB OF DARIUS ,NAKS H-I-RUS TA M
• 13 km fromnorth of Palace of Persepolis,is the tomb of rulerDarius.
• The façade of this rock-hewnstructure is 18.3mwide and reproduces the south front of the
Palace of Darius.
• The re are four columns of double bull type central doorway, withEgyptianlike cornice and upper
compartmentin whichelaborate throne is 2.7mhigh is supported.
• Near the tomb there is a Fire temple a stone square tower witha single room withexternal
staircase.

NOTES BY AKSHATHA NAIK

 THE TOMB OF DARIUS ,NAKS H-I-RUS TA M
• The kings were interred behinda cliff-cutbas- reliefthat would resemble an accurate
depic tionof the king's own palace and its structural details.
• The accuracyof the facade andits associationwith the actual structure of the kings ' palaces
is so close that they almost produce a viewof how the structures would have looked before
time reduced them to remains;Tomb of Darius the Great, for instance mirrors his palace in
Persepolis,the "Tachar" even inscale and dimensions.
• The tombs are carvedinto the mountain's side, in formof a cross depressed into the
mountain's limestone background,and elevated from the ground.
• The relie fwhichis foundin the depressedcruciformis that whichdepic ts the respective
king's palace, andalso depic ts on its roof, the relie ffigure of the king praying, to
Ahuramazda or what most believe is a re fe rence to the Zoroastrianicon, Faravahar.

NOTES BY AKSHATHA NAIK

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 THE TOMB OF DARIUS ,NAKS H-I-RUS TA M

• One of the enigmatic features of the

complexis a cubical,stone structure
standing 12.5 mete rs tall, andaround7
mete rs wide, called the Ka’bah-iZardusht
• translating to the "Cube of Zoroaste r"
believedto have been constructedduring
the Acahemenidera and modifiedand
changedduring the Sassanid era.
• The structure is cubical inbase, withblind
impressions on the side resembling
windows, anda ruined staircase leading
to a small door in the front leading to a
comple telyempty interior.
• The re are varied speculations as to its
functiondiscussed below.

NOTES BY AKSHATHA NAIK