Ancient Earth Art: Persepolis

In my eyes, some of the best earth art is that which was created thousands of years ago. The creators were not looking to create art, per se, but these "pieces" actually had practical applications. The fact that they served integral parts of society, adds to the significance of the pieces. As buildings and monuments, they were beautiful; in decay, they are still beautiful. The decay of these ruins are not only brought about by weathering and erosion, but have experienced many years of war and wear as well. Many of you may be aware of some of the great examples of such ancient earth art, i.e. the Pyramids of Giza or the Great Wall of China. However, you may not be aware of another monument, the ancient Persian capital of Persepolis.

In the outskirts of the Iranian city of Shiraz, it is believed that this complex was begun by Darius The Great, and was completed at the end of the Achaemenid Dynasty. It consists of numerous palaces and government buildings, as well as community centers. The ceiling(s) was made of wood, and after invasion by Alexander the Great, it was burnt to the ground, leaving only the columns that supported the great structure. For more information, go to http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Persepolis. ArtSTOR (the Art Database) also has very high resolution pictures of the site (if you search Persepolis).

The following are a couple pictures of the site today. It is quite majestic in person.

"Gate of all Nations"

Entrance Gate to Persepolis


Stairs to Palace, with numerous stone reliefs, including one of a lion and a bull, symbolizing the struggle between the sun and the moon (my personal favorite)
Some shards of columns and statues that used to be parts of the palace, but now lay in the surrounding desert (in close proximity to the palace complex). I believe they are trying to restore these pieces.