Iran (Persepolis)

The Apadana Palace Columns and Hypostyle Hall at Persepolis

2436

Created approximately between ca. 520 BCE and ca. 490 BCE, during the height of the Achaemenid Empire (First Persian Empire), under the reigns of Kings Darius I the Great and Xerxes I.

This object represents a monumental architectural complex consisting of the standing stone columns, fluted vertical shafts, bell-shaped bases, and elaborate animal capitals of the grand audience hall (Apadana). The elements are carved from high-quality local dark-gray and light-gray limestone, utilizing advanced Achaemenid stone-masonry techniques, precise chisel-work, low-relief carving, and monumental assembly methods where column drums were joined using metal dowels and lead cores.