Persian Lion and Bull
by Weston Westmoreland
Title
Persian Lion and Bull
Artist
Weston Westmoreland
Medium
Photograph - Photograph
Description
Persian Lion and Bull Combat, Persepolis, Persian Empire. C. 350 BC.
Detail of the limestone frieze from the stairway facing Palace H at Persepolis, Iran, ca. 358-338 BCE.
The lion and bull combat is a recurrent theme among Persepolis sculptures.The symbology of this composition is multiple. Certain experts see the seasonal change at the time of vernal equinox: the lion, symbol of the summer sun, defeats the bull, winter’s rain. Others note that at Persepolis, come dusk on the equinox, the constellation Leo is at its zenith and Taurus is setting.
The Lion-and-bull is one of the oldest mythological symbols in the world. It passed from culture to culture during periods of contact, with each new group expressing the symbol with its own emphasis. It is a symbol of great complexity and range.
The Sumerians were the first to define the zodiac, and they assigned to Leo the house that the sun must traverse during the summer solstice. The bull, representing the principle of the sacrifice that gives life, is associated with spring, and so Taurus rules the house which the sun traverses in the vernal equinox, when the world returns to life.
Persepolis was one of the capitals of the Achaemenid Empire. It was constructed at the same time as Susa in times of Darius I. The palace was captured and plundered by Alexander the Great around 330 BC.
The Achaemenid or First Persian Empire was founded by Cyrus the Great. At the apex of its power it reached from the Balkans to the Indus Valley, and was larger than any previous empire in history.
The Achaemenid Empire incorporated peoples of different origins and faiths. They centralized administration, established an official language, developed civil services and a large professional army and created an imperial road and postal system. The empire's successes inspired similar structures in later empires.
By the 7th century BC, the Persians had settled in Persis, which came to be their heartland. From this region, Cyrus the Great defeated and annexed the Medes, Lydia, and the Neo-Babylonian Empire, establishing the Achaemenid Empire.
Alexander the Great, admirer of Cyrus, conquered most of the empire by 330 BC. Upon Alexander's death, most of the empire's former territory fell under the rule of the Ptolemaic Kingdom and Seleucid Empire, in addition to other minor territories which gained independence at that time. The Iranian elites of the central plateau reclaimed power by the second century BC under the Parthian Empire.
The Achaemenid Empire is known in Western history as the arch-enemy of the Greek city-states during the Greco-Persian Wars, and for the emancipation of the Jewish exiles in Babylon. The historical mark of the empire, however, went far beyond its territorial and military influences and included cultural, social, technological and religious influences as well. Despite the lasting conflict between the two states, many Athenians adopted Achaemenid customs in their daily lives, which were later incorporated by the Romans ant the rest of Europe.
Original image by Franco Pecchio,(https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:201312_iran_Shiraz_69_(12476527564).jpg) edited and enhanced by Weston Westmoreland.
More amazing statues, sculptures and carvings at https://weston-westmoreland.pixels.com/collections/statues+sculptures+carvings
Weston Westmoreland
Uploaded
April 30th, 2020
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