Persian Wars and Burning of Persepolis

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AH-612: Imperial Architecture of Ancient Near-East, Spring- 2011

Dr !ug"a !an#eri-Er$emir

%inal &aper Su"mission '#: (a"ela )une*o

THE PERSIAN WARS AND

BURNING OF PERSEPOLIS


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THE PERSIAN WARS AND BURNING OF PERSEPOLIS:

Investigations into Cause, Ate!"at# an$ I"age %!o&e'tion o Pe!sia

INTRODUCTION:

!he +reco-&ersian ars ./0 'E to .0 'E that change$ the course of histor#, the ar of

$espotism 34s $emocrac# an$ of t#rants5 34s free man as it *ust the ar of 7i$eals8 or more9

!he ar ha$ to ma*or in3asions "# the &ersians on +ree lan$, first "# Darius the great an$ the

secon$ "# ;er


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;enophon, tampering ith it here e3er possi"le an$ glorif#ing +reece "# comparison &resent

$a# stu$ies hoe3er re3eal that such a 3ast empire as not controlle$ "# *ust "rute force "ut it

ha$ a 3er# a$3ance$ form of communication the ro#al roa$ an$ immensel# professional

"ureaucrac# !he numerous political ritings "# the ings themsel3es sho their pragmatism

as matche$ "# i$ealist rhetoric, in their religious tolerance, for e


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tom" of Darius the +reat locate$ fe miles from &ersepolis is a car3e$ tom" in a mountain

ha3ing face$ $ecoration similar to the classical +ree st#le

T#e en$ o A'#ae"eni$ E"%i!e:

!he sacing of &ersepolis "# Ale


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immense importance for the entire Hellenic orl$ !he# share$ similar histor#, m#ths an$

m#thologies, legen$s e3en similar heroes lie Achilles an$ Hercules etc $uring the formati3e

#ears "efore the lassical time of Fth centur# ' after the &ersian ars, the cit# states

$e3elope$ their on s#stem of go3ernance !o ma*or "eneficiaries from the &ersian ars

Sparta an$ Athens, I ill tal a"out here Sparta $e3elope$ into a semi $emocratic cit# state

rule$ "# a ing $ue to its rather unfortunate past e


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sculptural relief an$ statues the# ma$e an$ their potter# as highl# recei3e$ in not onl# +ree

orl$ "ut outsi$e as ell

e come across partial or one si$e$ approach toar$s histor#, "ut the approach in the

scholarship is changing no ith e3i$ences an$ research on the perspecti3e of the other si$e an$

there point of 3ie is "eing acnole$ge an$ re3iee$ Cne such e3ent in histor# ritten an$

pro*ecte$ through lassical perspecti3e is the +reco-&ersian ar in ./0 'E to .0 'E !his

"rings me to the main purpose of the paper the pro*ection pessimistic &ersian image "# +ree

historian of that time an$ present $a# as ell an$ the o3er highlighting of the Hellenic orl$

THE GRECOPERSIAN WARS:

!he Ionians re3olts in .// ' in Asia =inor, hich ere Hellenic influence$ areas un$er

&ersian rule, ere the main reason for the ars It is sai$ that the &ersians ere planning to "ring

the +ree orl$ un$er their $ominance an$ rule $espite that !he in3ol3ement from the main

lan$ +reece $uring the re3olt ga3e the &ersians reason enough to go on ar ith the +ree

orl$ an$ to uiet the re"ellion, an$ conuer4in3a$e the est part of the empire !his le$ the

&ersian an$ the +rees into a series of "attles that en$e$ ith the &ersian $efeat an$ Athenian

$omination o3er the +ree peninsula !here ere to ma*or in3asions the first an$ the secon$

there is a small thir$ in3asion hich put an en$ to the ars

!he %irst in3asion of +reece ./2J./0 ' as $ominate$ "# the 'attle of =arathon Secon$

in3asion of +reece .0J./ 'as $ominate$ "# 'attle of !hermop#lae an$ the na3al 'attle

at Salamis Spartans $ominate$ in the success of the "attle of !hermop#lae hile Athens gaine$

glor# in the na3al 'attle of Salamis !his success as not priceless as the &ersian sace$ an$

"urne$ Athens Acropolis an$ accor$ing to some +ree account Athens rose from the ashes of
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Greco-Persian_Wars#Battle_of_Marathonhttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Greco-Persian_Wars#Second_invasion_of_Greece_.28480.E2.80.93479_BC.29http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Greco-Persian_Wars#Second_invasion_of_Greece_.28480.E2.80.93479_BC.29http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Greco-Persian_Wars#Battle_of_Marathonhttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Greco-Persian_Wars#Second_invasion_of_Greece_.28480.E2.80.93479_BC.29http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Greco-Persian_Wars#Second_invasion_of_Greece_.28480.E2.80.93479_BC.29


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the &ersian in3asion an$ re"uilt a more magnificent an$ mar3elous a"o$e for their go$s the

croning glor# of hich as !HE &A(!HENCN fig 0/ In realit# the# spen$ heft# amounts

from the Delian league, hose treasur# as in Athens an$ it as forme$ as a militar#4political

alliance of all the +ree cit# states in times of crisis, le$ "# Athens

(ecent accounts sa# that in mainlan$ &ersia this ar as another ee the truth "en$ it their a# "ut this in no a#

means that e3en "# later historian a one si$e$ 3ision of a +reat Empire sta#s an$ eeps on

reinforcing itself ?@

In 0 ' &ersepolis as "urne$ $on "# troops of Ale


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=# uestion here is that, as there so much repulsion "eteen the to orl$s that the# promote

$ominance o3er each other an$ ere the +ree an$ the &ersian orl$ monolithic an$ sufficient

ithin themsel3es an$ there as no ee helmet $e$icate$ "#

Athenians at Cl#mpia is the most familiar Criental o"*ect associate$ ith the &ersian ars,

clothing attachments ma$e of gol$, non as "racteates, are highl# characteristic Achaemeni$

means of $ecorating te


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&ersepolis in the monuments "# Darius I a possi"le +ree influence an$ importing of foreign

specialist to train group of local craftsmen in the techniue of its use !oothe$ chisel he ee an$ the Apa$ana (elief5s at

&ersepolis: (eassessing a &rogrammatic (elationship8, in the American )ournal of Archaeolog#,

proposes the e


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similarities "eteen the &arthenon an$ Apa$ana reliefs, these similarities accor$ing to ool (oot

impl# not onl# Athenian aareness "ut also conscious emulation of the &ersian programmatic

3ision, an$ such emulation is a plausi"le e3en ine3ita"le, result of the Historical conte


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si$e an$ a more o"*ecti3e outloo can "e a$opte$ for future scholarships !here is hoe3er no

$en#ing the fact that the e3ent of &ersian ars is 3er# important one in histor# an$ is prolific

enough to "e stu$ie$ in times to come, hopefull# in a more neutral manner

Figu!es8 i"ages:

%igure 01 =ap of &ersian Empire +oogle images

%igure 02 &lan of &ersepolis +oogle images


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%igure 0 &anoramic 3ie of &ersepolis iipe$ia

%igure 0. Nash e (ustam +oogle images

%igure 0F =ap of +reece ith colonies +oogle images


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%igure 06 +ree Cr$ers +oogle images

%igure 0 !#pical +ree !emple Ele3ation in Doric or$er +oogle images


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%igure 0 !#pical +ree Stoa +oogle images %igure 0/ !he &arthenon reconstructe$ image

+oogle images

%igure 10 &lan of C$eon of &ericles %igure 11 (econstructe$ Interior 3ie of

+oogle images C$eon of &ericles +oogle images

En$ notes:

1 'ar"arian or barbaroususuall# $enote$ an inha"itant of &ersian Empire an$ connote$ coar$ice eaness

an$ effeminac#, =argaret =iller 1//, Athens and Persia in the Fifth Century BC: A Study in

Cultural Receptivity, Kni3ersit# of am"ri$ge &ress

2 !he (o#al rhetoric recor$e$ in the cuneiform inscriptions an$ $isseminate$ i$el# across the empire

emphasi>ing the conuere$ nations to "e unite$ un$er ser3ice of the +reat ing ho5s las the# ere

reuire$ to o"e# an$ re"ellion against him ill "e re"ellion against $i3ine authorit# "ecause the ing

ser3e$ Ahurama>$a5s ill on earth as a guarantor of *ustice an$ maintainer of social or$er, !homas

Harrison e$, 200/, he !reat "#pires of the Ancient $orld, !hames an$ Hu$son

!he satraps en*o#e$ pri3ileges of "eing representati3es of the +reat ing, the# collecte$ ta


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court similar to the capital !he satrap# co3ere$ ee an$ the Apa$ana (elief5s at &ersepolis: (eassessing a

&rogrammatic (elationship8 1/F, in theA#erican &ournal of Archaeolo'yMol /, No 1

arl N#lan$er, 7Cl$ &ersian an$ +ree Stonecutting an$ the chronolog# of Achaemenian =onuments:

Achaemenian &ro"lem I8 1/6F, in theA#erican &ournal of Archaeolo'yMol 6/, No 1
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/743_BChttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/724_BChttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/743_BChttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/724_BC


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List o i"ages:

%igure 01 =ap of &ersian Empire +oogle images

%igure 02 &lan of &ersepolis +oogle images

%igure 0 &anoramic 3ie of &ersepolis iipe$ia

%igure 0. Nash e (ustam +oogle images

%igure 0F =ap of +reece ith colonies +oogle images

%igure 06 +ree Cr$ers +oogle images

%igure 0 !#pical +ree !emple Ele3ation in Doric or$er +oogle images

%igure 0 !#pical +ree Stoa +oogle images

%igure 0/ !he &arthenon reconstructe$ image +oogle images

%igure 10 &lan of C$eon of &ericles +oogle images

%igure 11 (econstructe$ Interior 3ie of C$eon of &ericles +oogle images

o3er page &ersepolis +oogle images

Persian Wars and Burning of Persepolis

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