MOSAIC

The world of
Ancient Persia
By Rhona Wells
THE WEALTH AND SPLENDOUR OF ANCIENT PERSIA

is revealed in a major new exhibition that opened

at the British Museum in September. The event
focuses on the Ancient Persian Empire at the
height of its glory and features exquisite artefacts
on loan from the National Museum of Iran and the
Persepolis museum, displayed in the UK for the
first time. These unique treasures are supplemented
with loans from the Louvre in Paris as well as the
British Museum's own striking collections.
Between 550BC and 330BC, the Persians ruled
over the largest empire of the Ancient Near East
ever seen before or since, stretching from North
Africa to the Indus Valley and from Central Asia
to the Gulf. This empire is sometimes known as
Achaemenid
Three Persian rulers, Cyrus, Darius and
Xerxes, were responsible for establishing highly
sophisticated networks of power and instigating farreaching legislation.
OPPOSITE: Head adorning a massive stone column capital, Persepolis Palace
ABOVE: Silver statuette of a bearded man, Oxus treasure

They controlled their empire by a

system of devolved administration and
government, a complex road network and
an imperial postal service that ran from
Sardis to Susa. They also established a
monetary system - a variety of intricately
wrought ancient coins can be seen at the
exhibition - and to reflect their might, they
built monumental palaces,
The awe-inspiring scale of the palaces
at Persepohs and Susa is illustrated by
the display of monumental architectural
pieces, including ornate carved stone slabs
depicting Ancient Persian priests, servants
and tributaries hearing offerings to the
kings. These carvings adorned the sides
of the vast staircases that approached the
raised palaces. Among the gifts offered are
bracelets, wool, textiles, horses, chariots
and camels, each from a specific region of
the empire. The carvings are plaster casts
but reflect the magnitude of scale and
interestingly all portray peaceful scenes
rather than battles of the mighty. To give
an idea of size, the foot of a palace column
on show weighs an amazing four tonnes.
The column itself would have soared 20
metres into the sky and heen decorated
with a mixture of animal and human
forms.
The immense wealth of the empire is
apparent, even in the ornate tableware
commissioned hy the Persian kings
which includes intricately carved
gold and silver bowls; horn-shaped
drinking cups and polished stone
trays. It is thought that the bowls
and drinking vessels served a dual
function. Although they were used
for dining, they were also prized
for their bullion value, representing
the wealth of the Persian king on
his travels.
These vessels were used at the
lavish banquets where the kings
and their guests feasted on meats,
breads and sweetmeats, expertly
prepared by an army of cooks who
favoured imported spices such as
cumin from Ethiopia as well as the
pistachios, dates, pomegranates,
raisins and almonds, still found in
modern Middle Eastern cuisine.
Wine alsoflowedfreely on these
occasions, with a choice of red and
white as well as barley and date
fermentation.
The stunning jewellery from
the imperial capitals at Pasargadae
and Susa further demonstrates
extravagant wealth. The necklaces and
bracelets are intricately elaborate with
some of the finest pieces inlaid with tiny
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TheMiddleEast October 2005

semi-precious stones, glass beads and paste

of different colours. This technique, known
as cloisonne is a distinctive feature of
Achaenienid jewellery.
The luxury enjoyed in life extended
into the ancient Persian way of death
with ornate gold grave goods achieving
great popularity. Among the outstanding
jewellery from this time are two armlets
with griffin heads from the Oxus treasure
as well as some magnificent earrings from
a burial at Susa. This hurial was in a hronze
coffin shaped like a bathtub recreated for
tbe exhibition.
Tlie famous Cyrus Cylinder, a barrel
shaped foundation deposit, was inscribed
on the orders of Cyrus after he captured
Babylon in 539BC. In this document he
orders that statues of gods be returned
from shrines to which they had been
removed and gives instructions tbat
certain captives of the empire should
be sent bome. It is tberefore sometimes
referred to as the first declaration of
human rights and is just one example of
the enormous intellectual legacy of tbe
Persian kings. It also challenges the picture
of Persian intolerance so vividly painted by
the Greeks. Indeed, the entire exhibition
is testimony to the fact that the traditional
view of Persian tyranny and despotism
portrayed by the Greeks is flawed.
The fall of Persepolis to Alexander
the Great in 331BC symbolised
the destruction of the Ancient
Persian Empire but Persian forms
of governance lived on, not least in
Alexander himself, wbo embraced
many elements of Persian rule, in the
construction of the Greek empire.
By unlocking the secrets of
Ancient Persia, the British Museum
exhibition aims to promote a greater
understanding of tbe current issues
at tbe heart of the Middle East today.
It is tbe product of the work and
inspiration of Neil MacGregor, the
director of the British Museum, in
collaboration with the Iran Heritage
Foundation and succeeds in
bringing the glory of Persia, present
day Iran, to life for a public which,
thanks to the daily news, may have
a very difFerent perception of this
ancient land. Ihe event is sponsored
by BP, the British Museum's largest
and most longstanding corporate
sponsor, which has supported
Museum events on an annual basis
since 1998.
Forgotten Empire: the world of Ancient
Persia is staged at The British Museum,
until 8 January 2006. B
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