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How did Achaemenid double-animal capitals support the columns at Persepolis?
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Persepolis
Ruins of the royal Achaemenid residence at Persepolis, Iran.
In Achaemenid architecture at Persepolis, the distinctive "double-animal" feature served as an impost, which is an upper addition to the column capital.1
These elaborate capitals were designed in the form of paired bulls, bull-men, or dragons. Structurally, a capital functions as the crowning member of a column, providing the necessary support for the horizontal beams or entablature resting above it. By incorporating these zoomorphic forms, Achaemenid architects created a unique, laterally spreading support system that effectively transitioned the load from the overhead structures down to the columns.12