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Persepolis's District of
The Apadana
Steward:
 * Xena ApilSin
"Alone of all the palace buildings, the Apadana rose in the midst of a paradise. Alone, it was sufficiently isolated from the apartments reserved for the sovereigns to make it convenient to introduce a considerable number of dignitaries. Like the bithan, the Apadana was surrounded by groves immediately adjoining the house of the women; like the bithan, it was preceded by an immense vestibule, capable of holding the guest of Ahasuerus; like the bithan, it was a hypostyle, and paved with coloured marbles. Lastly, like the bithan, it played a special part in the life of the kings of Persia and the ceremonial of the Achaemenian court." ~ M. Dieulafoy, Encyclopedia Biblica
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The largest and most well-preserved architectural structure in Parsa was the Apadana. Begun by Darius I and finished by Xerxes I, the Apadana was the reception or audience hall where the Persian kings would hold their annual durbar (formal reception) around the new year’s festival. At this time, client kingdoms and civilizations that were under dominion of the Persians would bring tribute to the king at his Apadana.
Each mirror image relief portrayed a procession of twenty-three delegations of the empire bearing tributes; a central panel in which the king and the crown prince are conducting an official audience; and a third complementary tableau depicting (behind the royal figures) the massed files of royal guards, followed by members of the court entourage. Additionally, the right and left edges of the central panel and the extreme limits of the overall composition were each flanked by the sole motif that carried any direct reference to active force: namely, the oft-repeated scene of a bull being attacked by a lion ~ a representation of great power being overcome by yet greater power.
Debate persists about this, but while these and other reliefs from Parsa were once thought to document the details of an annual new year's festival, it now seems probable that the scenes described above were expressly designed to illustrate Darius' personal vision of his empire ~ one of a harmonious, far-reaching government, at once secure in terms of the power and authority of the monarch and the assured condition of the royal succession.
View a slide show of a 3D reconstruction of The Apadana.
At the empire’s zenith, it is believed that twenty-three subject nations attended the durbar per year. Some of the gifts that they bestowed on the king included: silver and gold vessels, vases, weapons, fabrics, jewelry and exotic animals. Thirteen of the original seventy-two columns still remain standing. Two massive stairways lead to the audience hall entrance. The stairways were decorated with an artistic representation of the tribute processions from the various delegations of the kingdoms.
For photographs of the Apadana tribute procession reliefs from the Oriental Institute’s collection: Click Here.
Source:
Marduk Hammarabi's article: Parsa-[Persepolis]
David Stronach & Kim Codella ~ Parsa Palace Complex
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