THE CREATION OF PERSEPOLIS

BY CHARLOTTE MARTIN

THE AREA PERSIA IS SITUATED IN BEGAN AS ANCIENT MESOPOTAMIA IN 3500 BCE, AND RELIED ON FARMING, WITH LIMITED SOCIAL STRUCTURE. BY 1000 BCE, THE MIDDLE EAST WAS DIVIDED INTO MULTIPLE TRIBAL AREAS, WHICH ALSO DEPENDED ON FARMING TO SURVIVE.

In 550 BCE, one tribe conquered the rest to create the Achaemenid Empire (dynastic name for Persian Empire), which developed a political system and infrastructure. This allowed architecture to be developed and created a purpose beyond survival, allowing art and religion to evolve and define class.

The first three kings of the Persian Empire built Persepolis (or in Roman, Parsa). It became a seat of government, and the palace, a symbol of monarchy. Persepolis therefore symbolises the development of a system within an Empire, allowing grand architecture to take shape, supported by the many areas the Empire ruled over. This temple city symbolises the beginnings of a hierarchy, and a social structure which allowed secondary and tertiary industries to thrive off of an everincreasing farming population.