Persian Lion Head Frieze
by Weston Westmoreland
Title
Persian Lion Head Frieze
Artist
Weston Westmoreland
Medium
Photograph - Photograph
Description
Persian Griffon Head Frieze from Susa. C. 500 BC.
Stuccoed mythological, geometrical and vegetal pattern frieze from the Apadana in the Palace of Darius the Great in Suse, one of the capitals of the Achaemenid Empire. The frieze shows the heads of Persian horned lions or griffons above romboidal patterns surrounding lotus and palmette figures.
This is a rectangular reconstruction of a fragment that survived the destruction of Suse and Persepolis by Alexander the Great in 330 BC and which can be found in the Louvre Museum.
The Susa to which this tile belongs was one of the capitals of the Achaemenid Empire. It was constructed at the same time as Persepolis and the favorite capital of king Darius I. The palace was captured and plundered by Alexander the Great in December 330 BC.
Susa, however, had belonged to other empires before and after and has been uninterruptedly inhabited since before 4000 BC. One of the oldest cities in Mesopotamia.
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 obtained from Wikimedia Commons. Reconstruction adn edition by Weston Westmoreland.
More amazing statues, sculptures and carvings at https://weston-westmoreland.pixels.com/collections/statues+sculptures+carvings
Weston Westmoreland
Uploaded
July 6th, 2020
Embed
Share
Similar Images
Recently Viewed
