Ancient Annihilation

“This is the kingdom I hold, from the Scythians who are beyond Sogdiana, thence into Kush, from India thence unto Sardis, which Ahura Mazda, the greatest of gods, bestowed upon me” –inscription of statue of Darius the Great found in Persepolis. In 530 B.C. Persia was strong under the rule of Darius I, later known as Darius the Great. Darius wanted to build a capital of high esteem for all the word to see Persia’s greatness; thus came Persepolis.

Persepolis, Parsa to the Persians, was constructed in the center of the colossal Persian dominion, which was composed of 23 nations. “In laying out Persepolis, architects had worked with the natural environment to create an imposing complex that would impress visitors” (Hussein). Free men from all across Persia came to build the city, making sure the king of Persia was honored by it, and that people from all over the world would know Persia’s might. The most extensive building under Darius’s reign was the audience hall, or the Apadana, built to welcome and impress all who entered; grand staircases were constructed to display the king’s power.

Darius wanted his capital to awe Persia, and was always modifying it. Even when his son, Xerxes, and later his grandson, Artaxerxes, were in charge, buildings were added or renovated. Xerxes and Artaxerxes together fabricated the new largest building in Persepolis, the Hundred Column Hall. Meant to embrace and receive gifts from various royal authorities, the Hundred Column Hall, as its name implies, had 100 towering pillars inside accompanied by carvings of soldiers. “This theme was chosen so that the tribute bearers would be reminded that the military kept the empire under the king’s control” (Hussein). Each detail of this building, as well as of the other regal edifices in Persepolis, was designed to show Persia’s prominence.

While Persepolis proclaimed the Persian kings’ power, it was also the center for celebrating the New Year, or the Noruz. The Noruz was a religious ceremony honoring Ahura Mazda, the predominant Persia god. The festivities also acknowledged the Persian king, who would lavishly celebrate in Perseplis each year. The Noruz united the empire under its ruler.

In Greek, Persepolis means “city of ruins,” and tragically this immense city of wonder collapsed. In around 330 B.C., 200 years after Daruis I built the city, the Greek leader Alexander the Great came to conquer Persia, and defeated over 40,000 men at the Persian Gates. Still, having suffered too many losses for Alexander to handle, including having 800 prisoners of war returned with severed limbs, Alexander wanted Persepolis destroyed. For several days the Greek soldiers pillaged and plundered the capital, though Alexander decided to spare the royal buildings; “Persian leaders, dressed in their finest robes, threw themselves off the tops of their walls or burned themselves alive in their houses rather than fall into the hands of their enemies” (Doxuan). Finally, drunk and seduced by a young maiden, Alexander and his men were led one night to Xerxes’ palace, where they burned everything in sight. What flames started, time finished, and Persepolis was demolished.

Today only glimpses of the once-grand empire remain: column bases, abandoned doorways, and sunken stairwells. Archeologists have excavated parts of the city, and have found artifacts, like stone tablets and statues, that have enlightened our world today about what Persia was like. In 1979 the remains of Persepolis were named a world heritage site to commemorate the grandeur of the ancient capital.

Bibliography:

Darius I, the Great (550 B.C.-486 B.C.)." UXL Biographies. Online ed. Detroit: UXL, 2003. Discovering Collection. Thomson Gale. Anoka Hennepin ISD 11. 1 May. 2007 .

Doxuan, Charles-Emmanuel. "The mystery of Persepolis. (Persian city destroyed in 330 B.C.)(includes related article)(UNESCO in Action: Heritage)." UNESCO Courier (May 1995): 40(4). Student Edition. Thomson Gale. Anoka Hennepin ISD 11. 1 May. 2007 .

Hussein, Angela Murock. "Magnificent persepolis." Calliope 17.3 (Nov 2006): 24(4). Junior Edition. Thomson Gale. Anoka Hennepin ISD 11. 1 May. 2007 .


Notes:

I started looking at the University of Minnesota library, but I couldn’t find any articles I wanted, so I used the Champlin Park Gale database like Ms. Evans just taught us to do. After printing the content of the articles I wanted, I read through them a few times and highlighted the things I thought were important. I then put my notes aside and wrote my journal, only referring back to the text a few times for the quotes I used. I’m glad that I did research on Persepolis because I wanted to know why Marjanne Satrapi decided to give her book that title; now I better understand how the lost ancient city relates to Marji’s childhood.