Persepolis is the better-known Greek name for Parsa, a site composed of a set of palaces built to show the power and wealth of the Persian kings. The ruins of Parsa lie in the present-day Iranian province of Fars, thirty-five miles (56 km) northeast of the city of Shiraz and twenty-seven miles (43 km) from the tomb of Cyrus the Great at Pasargadae.
A Royal Showcase
The Achaemenid kings used the old, established cities of Susa and Babylon as their centers of government and religion. Their summer residence was at Ecbatana (modern-day Hamadan in western Iran). Although Persepolis was the main seat of government of the Persian Empire, it was not the only royal city. It was, however, a monument to the greatness of the Achaemenid dynasty.
The entire complex of Persepolis sits high on a raised terrace of cut stone that looks out across the dry plains of central Persia. The walls still carry giant relief sculptures of the Persian royal family. Other reliefs show soldiers in the Persian army, as well as subjects from the twenty-eight nations that were once ruled by the Achaemenids.
Building at Persepolis began around 520 BCE in the reign of Darius I (522–486). However, his son Xerxes (486–465 BCE) and grandson Artaxerxes I (465–425 BCE) built most of what still survives at the site.
Royal Ceremony
Some scholars think that Persepolis was used only a few days each year for the ceremony of Nowruz, or New Year’s Day. Nowruz marked the beginning of spring and was a great day of feasting in honor of the Persian god Ahura Mazda. Sitting in his throne hall, the king received the leading nobles and governors from every province of the empire as well as ambassadors from other kingdoms. The gifts they brought as tribute were then carefully stored in the treasury of the royal palace.
Visitors passed along monumental stairways and corridors and through the Gate of all Nations. The king’s subjects massed in the Apadana, the great audience hall. Once the rituals of Nowruz were complete, the king and his courtiers moved back to Susa, leaving Persepolis in the hands of a few trusted guards.
Ruin and Decay
Alexander the Great captured Persepolis in 330 BCE. His army set fire to the site and destroyed it so thoroughly that it was never rebuilt. The ruins remained largely undisturbed until the Dutch traveler Cornelis de Bruijn visited and drew them in 1705 CE. In the twentieth century parts of this impressive site were reconstructed and restored to their former glory.
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ARTAXERXES I REIGNED 465–425 BCE |
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Artaxerxes became king of Persia through murder and intrigue. His father, Xerxes, was mysteriously assassinated at the height of his powers in 465 BCE. Artaxerxes immediately accused his older brother of the crime, had him executed, and took his place on the throne. To try to convince everyone that he was the rightful ruler, he took the name Artaxerxes, which means "having just rule." He also spent much of his time and money completing the palaces at Persepolis, in order to emphasize the links between himself and the other great Achaemenid kings.
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