Persepolis
Ancient site
The ceremonial city of the kings of ancient Persia, burnt down by Alexander the Great.
Around 518 BC King Darius I began building Persepolis on a great stone terrace in what is now Iran. It was the showpiece of the Persian Empire, then the largest empire the world had seen.
On the stairways long rows of people are carved in stone: envoys from 23 peoples of the empire bringing gifts to the king, each in their own dress. In 330 BC Alexander the Great captured the city, and it burned.
- building began
- 518 BC
- peoples carved on the stairs
- 23
- burnt down
- 330 BC
- 1
Visitors entered through the Gate of All Nations, guarded by huge stone bulls with human heads.
- 2
The fire baked clay tablets with the palace accounts hard, which is why we can still read what the workers were paid.
- 3
In Iran the place is called Takht-e Jamshid, the throne of Jamshid, after a king from legend.
Question 1 of 2
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