Purpose of Persepolis

What festival have the Persepolis reliefs traditionally been interpreted as depicting?

The Nowruz (New Year) festival.

When was Nowruz traditionally thought to have been celebrated?

At the spring equinox.

What do the Persepolis reliefs depict that has been associated with Nowruz?

Lion and bull combat, tribute processions, food being carried for banquets, audiences with the king, and throne scenes.

What is depicted in the famous lion and bull motif?

A lion attacking/fighting a bull.

What does the lion traditionally represent in the interpretation of the Persepolis relief?

The summer heat.

What does the bull traditionally represent?

Winter rain.

What could the lion and bull combat symbolise?

The changing of seasons and the cycle between summer heat and winter rain.

 What is shown in the tribute procession at Persepolis?

Representatives of subject nations approaching Persepolis with gifts/tribute.

What does the tribute procession demonstrate about the Persian Empire?

The diversity of the empire and the authority of the Persian king over its subject peoples.

Why would representatives of subject nations be important in a depiction of royal authority?

Their presence demonstrates that different peoples recognised and participated in the authority of the Persian king.

What do some Persepolis reliefs show people carrying?

Food for banquets.

What do these food-carrying scenes traditionally represent?

Festival banquets associated with the celebration.

What do the banquet scenes communicate about the Persian court?

The wealth, organisation and ceremonial nature of the royal court.

What happens in the audience scenes at Persepolis?

A court official introduces representatives of subject peoples to the king.

What does the audience scene demonstrate?

The king's central position and authority over the empire.

Why is the king placed at the centre of these scenes?

To communicate that imperial power and authority are centred on the Persian king.

 Where are the important throne scenes found?

 In the Tripylon and the Hall of a Hundred Columns.

What do the throne scenes traditionally represent?

A procession in which the king is carried high by representatives of subject peoples.

What does the king being carried above the subject peoples symbolise?

The king's superiority and supreme authority over the empire.

 Is it certain that Nowruz was celebrated at Persepolis during the Achaemenid period?

 No. Scholars now question whether Nowruz was celebrated there during the Achaemenid period at all.

What is uncertain about the traditional interpretation of the Persepolis reliefs?

 It is uncertain whether they depict Nowruz specifically, and whether it was celebrated in spring during the Achaemenid period.

What alternative interpretation has been suggested for the festival depicted at Persepolis?

It may have been connected to the king's birthday.

 Which god may have been honoured in the alternative interpretation?

Mithras.

 Why is this scholarly debate important?

It shows that interpretations of the Persepolis reliefs are not certain, and historians continue to debate their original purpose and meaning.

What role did Persepolis symbolically play in the Persian Empire?

It operated as a symbolic centre of Persian power and kingship.

Why do historians debate the function of Persepolis?

There is uncertainty about its precise purpose and how its buildings and reliefs were originally used.

What do many historians believe was an important function of Persepolis?

 It was a symbolic centre where Persian kings presented and reinforced their power and authority.

 What did Persian kings seek to create through Persepolis?

 An image of the power and authority they possessed.

Why were the reliefs important politically?

They communicated a deliberate political message about hierarchy and kingship.

What did the reliefs communicate about the organisation of society?

A hierarchical order, with the Persian king at the centre and subject peoples beneath his authority.

What does the imagery of different nations approaching the king communicate?

 Imperial unity under the authority of the Persian king.

How do the Persepolis reliefs communicate Persian imperial power?

By showing subject peoples bringing gifts, approaching the king and participating in royal ceremonies.

How does the imagery reinforce the king's authority?

The king is placed in a central and elevated position, while representatives of subject nations acknowledge his authority.

What is the overall political message of the Persepolis reliefs?

That the Persian Empire was a highly organised hierarchy centred on the authority of the king.

 What does the presence of many different peoples in the reliefs suggest?

The empire was large and culturally diverse, but these groups were united under Persian kingship.

Why might the king have wanted these images displayed at Persepolis?

To legitimise and glorify his rule and communicate the stability and greatness of the empire.

What is the traditional interpretation of the lion and bull?

Lion = summer heat; bull = winter rain