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The Brooklyn Museum

Collections: Egyptian, Classical, and Ancient Middle Eastern Art




Persian Guard

Persian Guard. Iran, from Persepolis, Audience Hall (Apadana) of the Palace. Achaemenid Period, reign of Xerxes, 486–480 B.C. Limestone, 10 1/2 x 9 x 1 7/8 in. (26.6 x 22.8 x 4.7 cm). Brooklyn Museum, Gift of the Kevorkian Foundation in memory of Hagop Kevorkian, 65.195

In 559 B.C., King Cyrus the Great of Persia (modern Iran) established the Achaemenid empire, which would eventually become the largest in the ancient world. By the time Alexander the Great of Macedonia conquered the Persians in 330 B.C., they controlled an area encompassing Egypt, Syria, Turkey, Mesopotamia, Iran, and India. The Persian kings ruled from huge complexes at Persepolis and Pasargadae in southern Iran. They brought artists from all over the world to decorate their palaces. This man was one of a long row of royal guards; part of another figure can be seen behind him.

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