Persepolitan glyptic images and ideology : the emergence of a visual language of empire in Persepolis

This final lesson will explore a key question in the study of Achaemenid art: the emergence of a visual language of empire and domination, and the dynamics of this visual language. It's a vast and complex question, of which this lesson has been able to tackle only a few aspects. We have examined the new data provided by Persepolitan glyptics, but we have also seen certain points of the "interface" between monumental art and glyptics. These interfaces are exceptionally interesting and can shed new light on our understanding of a broader ideological program, as it emerges during the reign of Darius ^I.
The lesson began with a very brief overview of monumental sculpture from the reigns of Cyrus and Darius, providing a summary of the features emerging in the vocabulary, syntax and semantics of monumental sculpture during the reign of Darius ^I. We then explored glyptic data via the royal-name seals of Darius. We then examined in some detail the characteristics of one of these seals, PTS 1*, from the Treasury archives, following some of the avenues of research opened up by the study of its design. The lesson ended with some very preliminary synoptic remarks on Persepolitan glyptics and Achaemenid imperial ideology.