Persian Winged Bull
by Weston Westmoreland
Title
Persian Winged Bull
Artist
Weston Westmoreland
Medium
Photograph - Photograph
Description
Persian Winged Bull. Palace of Darius, Susa, Persian Empire. C. 500 BC.
Detail of an glazed brick winged aurochs in one of the friezes of the palace of Darius I in Susa. The relief of enameled, polychrome bricks shows a bull passant between two friezes of rosettes and palmettes.
The bull is the symbol of the constructive force of the Achaemenian Persian empire. The animal's walking gait, with both right legs advancing together, contrary to the natural movement, is a common artistic convention.
This relief derives from the winged bulls with human heads that decorated the Assyrian palaces such as that of Sargon II at Khorsabad in the late 8th century. Guardians of the gates of the royal palace, these figures are much heavier in appearance and are represented in both high-relief and in the round. This bull shown on this brick panel is also clearly inspired by the decoration of the Ishtar Gate of Babylon, built a century earlier. There are several notable differences, however, between the two creatures: the Babylon bull is not winged; its coat is tawny; its movement less pronounced; and it symbolizes Adad, or Baal, god of storms. The Susian bull, an image of strength and power, protection and defense, personifies the royal authority. The bull figure has also been found in the stone reliefs at Persepolis, with or without wings, also shown in action, in confrontation with a lion.
The Susa to which this bull 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.
More amazing images from Ancient Civilizations at https://weston-westmoreland.pixels.com/collections/ancient+civilizations
More amazing statues, sculptures and carvings at https://weston-westmoreland.pixels.com/collections/statues+sculptures+carvings
Weston Westmoreland
Uploaded
November 12th, 2020
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