Darius and Xerxes Receiving Tribute

                One of the more elegant pieces of Eastern art that has grabbed my attention was the relief of Darius and Xerxes Receiving Tribute.  This piece is not only sculpted into a few characters, but rather tells a story.  Also, this relief is believed to symbolize not Darius in the throne, but rather Xerxes, the up and coming successor of his father.  In this piece specifically, Darius is supposedly being greeted in a ritual manner that is referred to as a proskynesis, while Xerxes (son of Darius) overhears what is being presented.  This piece can be found on the Apadana staircase located in Persepolis, Iran.

My initial reaction to this piece was bland and dull.  It didn’t have much variation, nor did it contain much information based solely on the image.  However, after reading more about this relief, I discovered a few things that have helped mold my perspective into thinking otherwise.  First off, I learned that in Eastern art, people were not very fond of having their actual face portrayed in self-portraits, it was something that most people would simply prefer not to have.  Thus, making it impossible to identify who is Darius and who is Xerxes, because they have the exact same face.  Facial features were not a high priority in these forms of work.

                 This relief is actually portrayed within the Apadana, within Persepolis, Iran (which was the audience and meeting area to greet Darius and attend events).  During this time frame, the Persian Empire reached from Africa all the way to India, thus making Darius a very powerful and renowned figure during the Ancient Near East era.  It was said that this piece of art was at a time more vibrant with colors and metals that were used to emphasize Darius’ crown and gold leaf used for his necklace.  Key components in this relief are used to show just how powerful and royal Darius was at this moment in his reign.  Noticing how his feet are not touching the ground, but have their own ataman to rest upon, reflects that he was of high power.  Another thing that drew my attention was the fact that he has two guards behind him and two more guards in front of him, both symmetrically placed to achieve the King’s protection.  He also has an entourage of potentially royal figures/family that stand beside and behind him on his throne, proving that he must be of a higher importance.

              Placed in front of Darius are two incents stands, implying that his throne was a clean place and had the type of resources that he could keep his palace pristine.  It is hard to tell what the people behind Darius are holding, but each one seems to be wielding a different object.  Although, the figure behind Darius (who is assumed to be Xerxes) is also carrying the same object as the King, possibly a goblet or a brazier of some sort.  The figure directly behind Xerxes appears to be a woman because of the ornament she is wearing on her head, covering parts of her face and seems to be holding some sort of cloth.  And furthermore, the figure behind her seems to be holding some sort of pickaxe, with a dagger drawn to his waist.  This was probably considered a man who was handy with creating things, maybe a carpenter under the King’s personal request.  What I found strange was that the guards to the far right seem to be found holding what looks like a purse, or a small knapsack.  But being that close to the incents, it could just be more material to keep the scent of the place.

             I find it simply fascinating that such a small detailed relief from a staircase in a audience hall can tell such a story.  Perhaps there is more to the story than historians can even make from this and from what information we have gathered over the years.  In my opinion, there is always more information to uncover, especially from such early Persian times like these.  Although this relief was made during the last five years of Darius' ruling, it could simply be a story to illustrate how Darius is now passing the throne on to his successor and son, Xerxes.  To be able to make such intricate reliefs at this early of a time frame blows my mind and has helped shape the world into what the Greek's adopted as art.  And from there, what the rest of the world soon adopted as art.