King and Court in Ancient Persia 559 to 331 BCE PDF
Preview King and Court in Ancient Persia 559 to 331 BCE
DEBATES AND DOCUMENTS IN ANCIENT HISTORY DEBATES AND DOCUMENTS IN ANCIENT HISTORY A n Series Editors: Emma Stafford and Shaun Tougher c i e King and Court in nK ti n ‘This is a very important contribution not only to Achaemenid studies but also to the wider P g literature on royal courts in general. It is very well written and ably supported by source e Ancient Persia material which will render it invaluable for students and scholars alike.’ ra St John Simpson, Curator, The British Museum sn i ad An exploration of monarchy and elite society at the political 5 C 559 to 331 5 bce and cultural hub of the vast Persian Empire o 9 u tr The Persians established the biggest land empire the world had seen, and seated at ot tAhceh aheemaret noidf iGts rveaast t Kdinogm, iinmiomnos,r tianl istheed sino uGthre oefk mlitoedraetrunr-ed aasy aIr adne,s pwoatisc tthyera pnet.rson of the 3 in 3 1 However, a new vision of Persian kingship is now emerging from Iranian and other Near Eastern sources – literary, visual, and archaeological – which shows the monarchs b in a very different light. Inscriptions of Cyrus, Darius, Xerxes, and their heirs, present c a propagandistic image of Persian rulers as liberators, peace-makers, valiant warriors, e righteous god-fearing judges, and law-makers. Around about them, the kings established a lavish and sophisticated court, the centre of political decision-making and the hub of cultural achievements in which the image of monarchy was endorsed and advanced by an almost theatrical display of grandeur and power. Lloyd Llewellyn-Jones explores the representation of Persian monarchy and the court of the L Achaemenid Great Kings from the point of view of the ancient Iranians themselves (as well L O as other Near Eastern peoples) and through the sometimes distorted prism of Classical and Biblical sources. Y D Key Features L L • Draws on rich Iranian and Classical sources and exposes new evidence and E interpretations W • Accesses the rarefied but dangerous world of Persia palace life E L • Includes a comprehensive timeline, further reading, and web resources to encourage L Y research N - Lloyd Llewellyn-Jones is Senior Lecturer in Ancient History at the University of Edinburgh. J O N E Cover design: riverdesign.co.uk S Cover image: Esther Denouncing Haman Ernest Normand c. 1915 ISBN 978-0-7486-4125-3 E d i n b u www.euppublishing.com r LLOYD LLEWELLYN-JONES g h King and Court in Ancient Persia 559 to 331 bce LLLLEEWWEELLLLYYNN--JJOONNEESS TTEEXXTT..iinndddd ii 0044//1122//22001122 1144::3300 DEBATES AND DOCUMENTS IN ANCIENT HISTORY general editors Emma Staff ord, University of Leeds and Shaun Tougher, Cardiff University Focusing on important themes, events or periods throughout ancient history, each volume in this series is divided into roughly equal parts. Th e fi rst introduces the reader to the main issues of interpretation. Th e second contains a selection of relevant evidence supporting diff erent views. published Diocletian and the Tetrarchy Roger Rees Julian the Apostate Shaun Tougher Rome and its Empire, ad 193–284 Olivier Hekster with Nicholas Zair Roman Imperialism Andrew Erskine King and Court in Ancient Persia 559 to 331 bce Lloyd Llewellyn-Jones forthcoming Th e Family in the Roman World Mary Harlow and Tim Parkin Sex and Sexuality in Classical Athens James Robson Justinian and the Sixth Century Fiona Haarer Th e Emperor Nero Steven Green LLLLEEWWEELLLLYYNN--JJOONNEESS TTEEXXTT..iinndddd iiii 0044//1122//22001122 1144::3300 King and Court in Ancient Persia 559 to 331 bce Lloyd Llewellyn-Jones LLLLEEWWEELLLLYYNN--JJOONNEESS TTEEXXTT..iinndddd iiiiii 0044//1122//22001122 1144::3300 For David (& César-Phoebus and Maisie) © Lloyd Llewellyn-Jones, 2013 Edinburgh University Press Ltd 22 George Square, Edinburgh EH8 9LF www.euppublishing.com Typeset in 11/13 Minion by Servis Filmsetting Ltd, Stockport, Cheshire, and printed and bound in Great Britain by CPI Group (UK) Ltd, Croydon CR0 4YY A CIP record for this book is available from the British Library ISBN 978 0 7486 4126 0 (hardback) ISBN 978 0 7486 4125 3 (paperback) ISBN 978 0 7486 7710 8 (webready PDF) ISBN 978 0 7486 7711 5 (epub) ISBN 978 0 7486 7712 2 (Amazon ebook) Th e right of Lloyd Llewellyn-Jones to be identifi ed as author of this work has been asserted in accordance with the Copyright, Designs and Patents Act 1988. Published with the support of the Edinburgh University Scholarly Publishing Initiatives Fund. LLLLEEWWEELLLLYYNN--JJOONNEESS TTEEXXTT..iinndddd iivv 0044//1122//22001122 1144::3300 Contents Series Editors’ Preface xi Preface xiii A Note on Abbreviations xvii Timeline xix Map of the Persian Empire xxvii Map of Iran xxviii Plan of the Terrace at Persepolis xxix Part I Debates Introduction 3 Chapter 1 Th e Great King and His Men 12 Chapter 2 Pomp and Circumstance: Monarchy on Display 42 Chapter 3 Th e Great King in His Empire: Th e Movable Court 74 Chapter 4 Harem: Royal Women and the Court 96 Chapter 5 Th e Pleasures and Perils of Court Life 123 Part II Documents A1. Th e royal investiture 151 A2. Coronation hymn of Ashurbanipal 151 A3. Th e ‘vassal treaty’ of Esarhaddon 152 A4. Princely education 152 A5. Succession debates 152 A6. Xerxes as co-regent? 153 A7. Co-regency 153 A8. Greek speculations on Persian royal divinity 154 A9. Uncompromising advice to a ruler 154 A10. Achaemenid royal ideology 155 A11. Yahweh and the command for genocide 155 A12. A dream omen of Ashurbanipal 155 A13. Court propaganda: a fi ghting king 156 LLLLEEWWEELLLLYYNN--JJOONNEESS TTEEXXTT..iinndddd vv 0044//1122//22001122 1144::3300 vi King and Court in Ancient Persia A14. Darius III: warrior king 156 A15. Th e destruction of Sidon 156 A16. A who’s who of Israelite courtiers 157 A17. Explaining the nature of the court and Empire 157 A18. King and councillors 158 A19. Darius II issues commands through his satrap Aršama 159 A20. City walls and a plague of locusts 159 B1. Rituals of dining 160 B2. Seating etiquette 160 B3. Th e invention of inaccessibility 160 B4. Invisible monarchs of the past 161 B5. Th e invisible king 161 B6. Darius and Xerxes on the building of Persepolis 162 B7. Th e creation of Darius’ palace at Susa 162 B8. Th e beauty of Darius III and his womenfolk 163 B9. Moulding the bodies of infant royalty 163 B10. Cyrus the Great adopts Median dress, cosmetics, and deportment 163 B11. Th e dress and good looks of Astyages of Media 164 B12. Court beauticians and body servants 164 B13. Wigs or hair-pieces 165 B14. Breaching the etiquette of sleeves 165 B15. Semiramis wears the king’s robe and rules 165 B16. Courtiers’ muddy robes 165 B17. Royal punishment and clothing 166 B18. Intaphrenes and his wife 166 B19. Th e Gate of All Nations 167 B20. Imagining Th emistocles’ royal audience 167 B21. Esther before the king 168 B22. Overwhelming emotions of a royal audience 168 B23. Th e royal footsool 169 B24. Alexander’s makeshift footstool 169 B25. Carpets and thrones 169 B26. Obeisance to the king 170 B27. Obsequious salutations to the pharaoh of Egypt 170 C1. Th e king’s lands 170 C2. Th e Empire at large 170 C3. Th e diverse Empire 171 C4. Criss-crossing the Empire 171 C5. Aršama the satrap of Egypt orders rations for a travelling party 171 LLLLEEWWEELLLLYYNN--JJOONNEESS TTEEXXTT..iinndddd vvii 0044//1122//22001122 1144::3300 Contents vii C6. Cyrus’ search for an uninterrupted springtime 172 C7. Th e pleasure of relocation 172 C8. Bigger is not better: criticising the king’s migrations 172 C9. Relocating across Greece is better than traversing an Empire 172 C10. Th e luxury of traversing the Empire 173 C11. Th e spawning of the mackerel – and the Great King 173 C12. Th e Great King on the toilet 174 C13. An Empire on the move: Darius III and his court journey through Babylonia 174 C14. All the king’s horses 175 C15. Th e Egyptian satrap commissions an equestrian statue 176 C16. King as horseman warrior 176 C17. Horses sacrifi ced to Cyrus’ memory 176 C18. Royal camels 176 C19. Clearing the king’s path of scorpions 177 C20. Modest gift s of food and drink 177 C21. Th e origin of the king’s largess towards women 178 C22. Baziš: small livestock 178 C23. Gift s of abundance 179 C24. Figs from Athens 179 C25. Cyrus’ camp and tent 180 C26. Tented luxury 180 C27. Alexander commandeers the royal tent 181 C28. Alexander’s marriage tent 181 C29. Alexander’s royal tent and court 182 C30. Th e cost of feeding a peripatetic court 182 C31. Expenditure on food 183 C32. Food as tribute 183 C33. Th e king’s dinner 183 C34. Th e royal table and food distribution 184 C35. Paradeisoi as royal storage units 185 C36. Paradeisoi of the satrap Pharnabazus at Daskyleion 185 C37. A paradeisos near Uruk? 185 C38. Cyrus generates a storm 185 C39. Artaxerxes II controls the weather 186 D1. Greek speculations on Persian moral and cultural decline and the idea of harem upbringing 186 D2. Th e honour of the king’s wife 187 D3. ‘Oriental’ seclusion 187 D4. Breaching etiquette 188 LLLLEEWWEELLLLYYNN--JJOONNEESS TTEEXXTT..iinndddd vviiii 0044//1122//22001122 1144::3300 viii King and Court in Ancient Persia D5. Keeping a distance from the royal concubines 188 D6. Concubines show deference to royal wives 188 D7. Prestige of royal ladies 188 D8. Dynastic politics and the king’s mother 188 D9. Sexual shenanigans and punishment 189 D10. A ration of sheep to Queen Irtašduna 190 D11. Th e king commands that virgins be brought to the royal harem at Susa 190 D12. Th e ‘second harem’: concubinage as a royal ‘fi nishing school’ 190 D13. Captive Sidonian women enter the Babylonian palace of Artaxerxes III 191 D14. Th e capture of concubines as part of the royal household 191 D15. Th e lower status of concubines 191 D16. Concubines as mothers of kings 191 D17. Th e 360 concubines of Artaxerxes II 192 D18. Th e 360 concubines of Darius III 192 D19. Th e Persian concubines of Alexander the Great 192 E1. A concubine’s song 192 E2. Songs about Cyrus 193 E3. Angares, a Persian bard 193 E4. A Persian love story 193 E5. Professional wrestlers at the court of Darius II 195 E6. Etiquette of the king’s dinner 195 E7. Th e pleasure of a royal banquet 195 E8. Frustrations of hunting in a paradeisos 196 E9. Th e splendour of the royal chase 196 E10. Royal Egyptian lion hunts 197 E11. Royal Assyrian lion hunts 197 E12. Alexander kills a lion 198 E13. Artaxerxes I’s new hunting etiquette 198 E14. Rivalry and revenge: Xerxes’ women 198 E15. Bad feelings among the royal ladies 200 E16. Poisoning the king’s wife 200 E17. Poison at the Persian court 201 E18. Cup-bearer and taster 201 E19. Exclusive Indian poison at the Persian court 201 E20. Poison and the death of Alexander 202 E21. A eunuch king-maker 202 E22. Succession struggles: the ‘Dynastic Prophecy’ 202 E23. A Babylonian account of Xerxes’ assassination 203 LLLLEEWWEELLLLYYNN--JJOONNEESS TTEEXXTT..iinndddd vviiiiii 0044//1122//22001122 1144::3300 Contents ix E24. Accounts of the death of Xerxes 203 E25. Patricide and regicide: the death of Artaxerxes II 203 E26. Court conspiracy: the plot and execution of Prince Darius 204 E27. Fratricide at court 207 F1. Doorjamb from the Tripylon (Council Hall) at Persepolis depicting the Great King and two courtiers (represented on a smaller scale than the king) in procession 208 F2. Mohammad Reza Shah Pahlavi, Iran’s last monarch, crowns himself with a Sasanian-style crown 209 F3. Re-creation of the Treasury relief, Persepolis 210 F4. A tiny lapis lazuli head of an Achaemenid courtier from Persepolis 211 F5. Darius I’s relief and inscription at Bisitun 212 F6. Th e Elamite king Anubanini, from a rock relief at Sar-i Pol, Luristan 213 F7. An Achaemenid king (possibly Xerxes or Artaxerxes I) in his role as ‘Persian hero’ kills an Asiatic lion 214 F8. Detail of a glazed brick wall depicting an Immortal guard with a quiver and bow slung over his shoulder 215 F9. A eunuch or beardless courtier from the palace of Darius, Persepolis 216 F10. Egyptianising monumental statue of Darius I from Susa 217 F11. Reconstructed details of the Apadana north staircase, Persepolis, depicting tribute-bearers from across the Empire 218 F12. Th e peoples of the Empire support the king’s throne 219 F13. Achaemenid courtier in the ‘riding habit’ 220 F14. Line drawing of an Achaemenid king wearing the court robe 221 F15. Reconstruction of Xerxes’ Gate of All Nations 222 F16. Reconstructed views of the north elevation and north staircase and portico of the Apadana at Persepolis 223 F17. Th rone-bearers from across the Empire support Darius I as he worships Ahuramazda 224 F18. Darius I’s name seal 225 F19. A small part of the extensive L-shaped harem block at the southern end of the Persepolis platform as seen from Xerxes’ palace 226 F20. A female audience scene 227 LLLLEEWWEELLLLYYNN--JJOONNEESS TTEEXXTT..iinndddd iixx 0044//1122//22001122 1144::3300
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