Iranian art and architecture

Introduction
Early Iranian period
Median period
Achaemenian period
- Architecture
- Sculpture
Seleucid period
Parthian period
Petra and Palmyra
Sāsānian period

References & Edit History Related Topics

Images

Cast-bronze finial from Luristan, 9th–8th century bc.

Ruins of the royal residence (looking south) at Persepolis, Iran, begun by Darius I and completed during the reigns of Xerxes I and Artaxerxes I, Achaemenian period, late 6th–4th century bc.

The Nabataean rock-cut monument of Al-Dayr, Petra, Jordan.

Sāsānian rock relief showing the investiture in ad 226 of Ardashīr I at Naqsh-e Rostam, Persia (Iran).

Related Questions

How did Persian traditions in columned halls predate the Achaemenian Empire?
How did domes and squinches support the roofs of Sasanian buildings?
How did nomadic horsemen influence the designs of Luristan Bronzes?
How did painted pottery from Susiana use stylized animals and birds?
How did the layout of Pasargadae resemble a nomadic encampment?
How does the Royal Hunt relief at Tāq-e Bostān differ from other Sasanian rock reliefs?
How large was the vaulted iwan hall of the palace at Ctesiphon?
How large was the ziggurat at Choghā Zanbīl when it was built?
How many people could Darius I's Apadana at Persepolis accommodate?
How was the terrace at Persepolis constructed and protected?
How were guardian bulls and bull-men used in the Gate of Xerxes at Persepolis?
What Greek and local artistic traditions are visible in the ivory rhytons from Old Nisa?
What architectural features define an Achaemenian apadana?
What buildings were included in the capital city of Pasargadae?
What construction techniques were used in Sasanian palaces at Fīrūzābād and Sarvestān?
What decorative features appeared on the façade of the Sasanian palace at Ctesiphon?
What did the fortress and palace at Hasanlu reveal about early Iranian architecture?
What does frontality mean in Parthian sculpture?
What evidence shows that the Medes developed architectural forms before the Achaemenian Empire?
What hunting scenes were popular in Sasanian metalwork?
What is an iwan and how was it used in Parthian palaces?
What is distinctive about the Tomb of Cyrus at Pasargadae?
What kinds of objects were included in the Ziwiye treasure?
What makes the Ṭāq Kisrā palace at Ctesiphon an outstanding example of Sasanian architecture?
What materials were used for columns in the palaces at Persepolis?
What objects were found in the royal tombs at Marlik?
What possible purposes have been suggested for Kaʿbeh-ye Zardusht at Naqsh-e Rostam?
What scenes appear on the silver cup discovered at Hasanlu?
What types of objects are included in the Oxus Treasure?
Which architectural features of domed vaults and iwans are associated with the Parthian period?
Which artistic features appear in Iranian art from prehistoric pottery through Achaemenian sculpture?
Which cultures influenced the first Achaemenian artistic style?
Which foreign artistic influences can be seen in the Ziwiye treasure?
Which guardian animals decorated the gates at Choghā Zanbīl?
Which paired animals appear in the distinctive double-figure capitals of Persepolis?
Who built the temple complex and ziggurat at Choghā Zanbīl?
Why is the Cup of Solomon considered a major example of Sasanian metalwork?
Why is the bronze statue of Queen Napirasu important to Elamite art?
Why is the gold bowl from Hasanlu important to the study of Iranian art?
Why were Achaemenian reliefs placed on external stairways and facades?

History The Ancient World

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External Websites

Anavian Gallery - Iranian Art from the 5th Millennium B.C. to the 7th Century A.D
The Metropolitan Museum of Art - Modern and Contemporary Art in Iran

ziggurat Ziggurat at Choghā Zanbīl near Susa, Iran.

Iranian art and architecture

ancient art

Written by

Seton H.F. Lloyd

Professor of Western Asiatic Archaeology, University of London, 1962–69. Author of Early Highland Peoples of Anatolia; Ancient Turkey.

Seton H.F. Lloyd

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Britannica Editors

Encyclopaedia Britannica's editors oversee subject areas in which they have extensive knowledge, whether from years of experience gained by working on that content or via study for an advanced degree....

Britannica Editors

History

Iranian art and architecture, the art and architecture of ancient Iranian civilizations. Any reservation about attributing to Iran primary status among the countries contributing to the art of the ancient Middle East must be associated with the discontinuity of its early history and the comparatively incomplete state of its archaeological exploration. Nevertheless, it is clear that Iranian art maintained a distinctive identity from prehistoric times onward; thus, characteristics seen in designs on painted pottery of...