A province is an administrative division within a country or state . The term derives from the ancient Roman provincia , which was the major territorial and administrative unit of the Roman Empire's territorial possessions outside Italy . The term province has since been adopted by many countries. In some countries with no actual provinces, "the provinces" is a metaphorical term meaning "outside the capital city ".
105-558: A satrap ( / ˈ s æ t r ə p / ) was a governor of the provinces of the ancient Median and Persian (Achaemenid) Empires and in several of their successors, such as in the Sasanian Empire and the Hellenistic empires. A satrapy is the territory governed by a satrap. A satrap served as a viceroy to the king, though with considerable autonomy. The word came to suggest tyranny or ostentatious splendour, and its modern usage
210-625: A constitution . Those that are not specifically identified are called "residual powers". In a decentralized federal system (such as the United States and Australia ) these residual powers lie at the provincial or state level, whereas in a centralized federal system (such as Canada ) they are retained at the federal level. Some of the enumerated powers can be quite important. For example, Canadian provinces are sovereign in regard to such important matters as property , civil rights , education , social welfare and medical services . The growth of
315-582: A county in the United Kingdom . In China, a province is a sub-national region within a unitary state; this means that a province can be created or abolished by the national people's congress. In some nations, a province (or its equivalent) is a first-level administrative unit of sub-national government—as in the Netherlands —and a large constituent autonomous area, as in Argentina , Canada , South Africa , and
420-463: A federal state and not a confederation , in practice it is among the world's more decentralized federations. Canadian Confederation and the Constitution Act, 1867 conferred considerable power on the provincial governments which they often use to pursue their own goals independently of the federal government. In Canada, local governments have been called "creatures of the province" because
525-647: A region (which is the first-order administrative sub-division of the nation). Italian provinces are mainly named after their principal town and comprise several administrative sub-divisions called comuni (communes). In Chile, they are referred to as comunas . Chile has 15 regions , subdivided into 53 provinces, of which each is run by a governor appointed by the president. Italy has 20 regions , subdivided into 14 metropolitan cities and 96 provinces . Peru has 25 regions , subdivided into 194 provinces. Spain has 17 autonomous communities and 2 autonomous cities, subdivided into 50 provinces . The island of Ireland
630-450: A "province" would be a territory or function that a Roman magistrate held control of on behalf of his government. In fact, the word province is an ancient term from public law, which means: "office belonging to a magistrate". This agrees with the Latin term's earlier usage as a generic term for a jurisdiction under Roman law . In France , the expression en province still means "outside
735-483: A case of revenge. The fire may also have had the political purpose of destroying an iconic symbol of the Persian monarchy that might have become a focus for Persian resistance. Several much later Greek and Roman accounts (including Arrian , Diodorus Siculus and Quintus Curtius Rufus ) describe that the burning was the idea of Thaïs , mistress of Alexander's general Ptolemy I Soter , and possibly of Alexander himself. She
840-452: A desperate resistance. It was still a place of considerable importance in the first century of Islam , although its greatness was speedily eclipsed by the new metropolis of Shiraz . In the 10th century, Estakhr dwindled to insignificance. During the following centuries, Estakhr gradually declined, until it ceased to exist as a city. Odoric of Pordenone may have passed through Persepolis on his way to China in 1320, although he mentioned only
945-408: A great, ruined city called "Comerum". In 1474, Giosafat Barbaro visited the ruins of Persepolis, which he incorrectly thought were of Jewish origin. Hakluyt's Voyages included a general account of the ruins of Persepolis attributed to an English merchant who visited Iran in 1568. António de Gouveia from Portugal wrote about cuneiform inscriptions following his visit in 1602. His report on
1050-413: A growing interest in paradiplomacy , be it performed under a legal framework or as a trend informally admitted as legitimate by the central authorities. In unitary states such as France and China , provinces are subordinate to the national, central government. In theory, the central government can create or abolish provinces within its jurisdiction. On the other hand, although Canada is now considered
1155-592: A half times as large as France —640,679 km (247,368 sq mi). Six provinces, including five of the oldest Canadian provinces— Alberta , Ontario , Quebec , New Brunswick , Nova Scotia and Prince Edward Island —have "counties" as administrative sub-divisions. The actual local government form can vary widely. In New Brunswick, Prince Edward Island, and in 9 of the 18 counties of Nova Scotia, county government has been abolished and has been superseded by another form of local government. New Brunswick and Prince Edward Island also have parishes within counties. Since
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#17330558989431260-515: A mountain, with its east side leaning on Rahmat Mountain . Archaeological evidence shows that the earliest remains of Persepolis date back to 515 BC. André Godard , the French archaeologist who excavated Persepolis in the early 1930s, believed that it was Cyrus the Great who chose the site of Persepolis, but that it was Darius I who built the terrace and the palaces. Inscriptions on these buildings support
1365-467: A referendum), while the province of Alberta still does not impose a provincial sales tax. The evolution of federations has created an inevitable tug-of-war between concepts of federal supremacy versus states' and provinces' rights. The historic division of responsibility in federal constitutions is inevitably subject to multiple overlaps. For example, when central governments, responsible for foreign policy , enter into international agreements in areas where
1470-401: A very short time, could scarcely have obtained so splendid a monument, and still less could the usurper Sogdianus . The two completed graves behind the compound at Persepolis would then belong to Artaxerxes II and Artaxerxes III . The unfinished tomb, a kilometer away from the city, is debated to who it belongs. There are a total of 11 existing inscriptions at Persepolis, related to Darius
1575-480: Is a pejorative and refers to any subordinate or local ruler, usually with unfavourable connotations of corruption. The word satrap is derived via Latin satrapes from Greek satrápes ( σατράπης ), itself borrowed from an Old Iranian *khshathra-pa . In Old Persian , which was the native language of the Achaemenids, it is recorded as khshathapavan ( 𐎧𐏁𐏂𐎱𐎠𐎺𐎠 , literally "protector of
1680-419: Is administratively divided into four provinces, which are: It also has two autonomous territories: The term "province" is sometimes used to refer to the historic governorates ( guberniyas ) of Russia . This terms also refers to the provinces ( провинции ), which were introduced as the subdivisions of the governorates in 1719 and existed until 1775. In modern parlance, the term is commonly used to refer to
1785-484: Is also divided into counties, albeit they are officially classified as "municipal districts" by the province, though in regular everyday parlance these entities are referred to as a "county". The province of Alberta has some unique local governance schemes formed in response to local conditions. For instance, Sherwood Park is an unincorporated "urban service area" of 72,017 within Strathcona County , which has most of
1890-491: Is also the word for the region of Persia . An inscription left in 311 AD by Sasanian Prince Shapur Sakanshah , the son of Hormizd II , refers to the site as Sad-stūn , meaning "Hundred Pillars". Because medieval Persians attributed the site to Jamshid , a king from Iranian mythology , it has been referred to as Takht-e-Jamshid ( Persian : تخت جمشید , Taxt e Jamšīd ; [ˌtæxtedʒæmˈʃiːd] ), literally meaning "Throne of Jamshid". Another name given to
1995-544: Is divided into four historic provinces (see Provinces of Ireland ), each of which is sub-divided into counties . These provinces are Connacht (in the west), Leinster (in the east), Munster (in the south) and, Ulster (in the north). Nowadays these provinces have little or no administrative function, though they do have sporting significance. From the 19th century, the Portuguese colonies were considered overseas provinces of Portugal . Similarly, some overseas parts of
2100-430: Is not a pair of twin cities on opposite sides of a border, but is actually incorporated by both provinces as a single city with a single municipal administration. The residents objected to the federal government splitting the city in two when it created the two provinces, so the two provinces reunified it by declaring it to be a single city in two provinces, thereby bypassing the limitations of federal boundaries. Pakistan
2205-473: Is oriented southward. The Hadish Palace of Xerxes is one of palaces at Persepolis. It's located on the east of the Palace of H (Artaxerxes I). The palace occupies the highest level of terrace and stands on the living rock. The inscriptions of the palace attest that the building was built by order of Xerxes. It covers an area of 2550 square meters (40*55 meters). A double staircase on the west leads to courtyard of
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#17330558989432310-533: Is said to have suggested it during a very drunken celebration, according to some accounts to revenge the destruction of Greek sanctuaries (she was from Athens), and either she or Alexander himself set the fire going. The Book of Arda Wiraz , a Zoroastrian work composed in the 3rd or 4th century, describes Persepolis' archives as containing "all the Avesta and Zend , written upon prepared cow-skins, and with gold ink", which were destroyed. Indeed, in his Chronology of
2415-507: The Grands Gouvernements , generally former medieval feudal principalities, or agglomerations of such. Today the expression en province is regularly replaced in the media by the more politically correct en région , région now being the term officially used for the secondary level of government. In Italy , in provincia generally means "outside the biggest regional capitals" (like Rome , Milan , Naples , etc.). For
2520-472: The Achaemenid style of architecture. The complex was taken by the army of Alexander the Great in 330 BC, and soon after, its wooden parts were completely destroyed by fire, likely deliberately. The function of Persepolis remains unclear. It was not one of the largest cities in ancient Iran, let alone the rest of the empire, but appears to have been a grand ceremonial complex that was only occupied seasonally;
2625-683: The British Empire bore the colonial title of "province" (in a more Roman sense), such as the Province of Canada and the Province of South Australia (the latter, to distinguish it from the penal "colonies" elsewhere in Australia ). Likewise, prior to the American Revolution , most of the original Thirteen Colonies in British America were provinces as well, such as the Province of Georgia and
2730-626: The Canadian Constitution assigns local government to provincial jurisdiction, the various provinces can create, dissolve, and reorganize local governments freely and they have been described as "creatures of the province". The Western provinces have more varied types of administrative sub-divisions than the Eastern provinces . The province of British Columbia has "regional districts" which function as county-equivalents. Manitoba and Saskatchewan are divided into rural municipalities. Alberta
2835-582: The Democratic Republic of the Congo . It can also be a constituent element of a federation , confederation , or republic . For example, in the United States , no state may secede from the federal Union without the permission of the federal government . In other nations—such as Belgium , Chile , Italy , Peru , the Philippines , and Spain —a province is a second-level administrative sub-division of
2940-600: The Mauryas , the Gupta Empire gave local areas a great deal of independence and divided the empire into 26 large provinces, styled as Bhukti, Pradesha and Bhoga. In many federations and confederations , the province or state is not clearly subordinate to the national or central government. Rather, it is considered to be sovereign in regard to its particular set of constitutional functions. The central- and provincial-government functions, or areas of jurisdiction, are identified in
3045-482: The Median era from at least 648 BCE. Up to the time of the conquest of Media by Cyrus the Great, emperors ruled the lands they conquered through client kings and governors. The main difference was that in Persian culture the concept of kingship was indivisible from divinity: divine authority validated the divine right of kings . The twenty-six satraps established by Cyrus were never kings, but viceroys ruling in
3150-571: The Oriental Institute of the University of Chicago . They conducted excavations for eight seasons, beginning in 1930, and included other nearby sites. Herzfeld believed that the reasons behind the construction of Persepolis were the need for a majestic atmosphere, a symbol for the empire, and to celebrate special events, especially the Nowruz . For historical reasons, Persepolis was built where
3255-558: The Paris region". Equivalent expressions are used in Peru ( en provincias , "outside the city of Lima "), Mexico ( la provincia , "lands outside Mexico City "), Romania ( în provincie , "outside the Bucharest region"), Poland ( prowincjonalny , "provincial"), Bulgaria ( в провинцията , v provincijata , "in the provinces" and провинциален , provincialen , "provincial") and
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3360-592: The Parthian Empire , the king's power rested on the support of noble families, who ruled large estates and supplied soldiers and tribute to the king. City-states within the empire enjoyed a degree of self-government, and paid tribute to the king. Administration of the Sassanid Empire was considerably more centralized than that of the Parthian Empire; the semi-independent kingdoms and self-governing city states of
3465-521: The Philippines ( taga-probinsiya , "from outside Metro Manila ", sa probinsiya , "in the provinces", or "in the countryside"). Before the French Revolution , France comprised a variety of jurisdictions (built around the early Capetian royal demesne ), some being considered "provinces", though the term was also used colloquially for territories as small as a manor ( châtellenie ). Most commonly referred to as "provinces", however, were
3570-665: The Province of Canada . From its separation from Nova Scotia in the 18th century, New Brunswick was known as His/Her Majesty's Province of New Brunswick. After Canadian confederation in 1867, the term provinces continued to be used, in reference to the sub-national governments of Canada . Because Canada is the second-largest country in the world by area , but has only 10 provinces, most Canadian provinces are very large— six of its ten provinces are larger than any country in Europe except Russia , and its largest province Quebec —1,542,056 km (595,391 sq mi)—is almost two and
3675-456: The Province of New Hampshire . The constituent entities of Canada are known as provinces . Prior to confederation, the term province was used in reference to several British colonies situated in Canada; such as the colonial Province of Quebec . In 1791, Quebec split into two separate colonies, the provinces of Lower Canada , and Upper Canada . The two colonies were later merged in 1841 to form
3780-553: The Satavahana , who ruled in central India to their south and east and the Kushan state to their immediate west. Province While some provinces were produced artificially by colonial powers , others were formed around local groups with their own ethnic identities. Many have their own powers independent of central or federal authority, especially in Canada and Pakistan . In other countries, like China or France , provinces are
3885-655: The Satrapiae . The Western Satraps or Kshatrapas (35–405 CE) of the Indian subcontinent were Saka rulers in the western and central part of the Sindh region of Pakistan , and the Saurashtra and Malwa regions of western India . They were contemporaneous with the Kushans , who ruled the northern part of the subcontinent from the area of Peshawar and were possibly their overlords, and with
3990-630: The Thirteen Colonies that eventually formed the United States were called provinces. All declared themselves "states" when they became independent. The Connecticut Colony , the Delaware Colony , Rhode Island and the Colony of Virginia never used the title "province". The British colonies further north, which remained loyal to Britain and later confederated to form the original Canada , retained
4095-513: The United Kingdom use of the word is often pejorative, assuming a stereotype of the denizens of the provinces to be less culturally aware than those in the capital. The historic European provinces—built up of many small regions, called pays by the French and " cantons " by the Swiss, each with a local cultural identity and focused upon a market town —have been depicted by Fernand Braudel as
4200-495: The oblasts and krais of Russia. Persepolis Persepolis ( / p ər ˈ s ɛ p ə l ɪ s / ; Old Persian : 𐎱𐎠𐎼𐎿 , romanized: Pārsa ; New Persian : تخت جمشید , romanized : Takht-e Jamshīd , lit. 'Throne of Jamshid ') was the ceremonial capital of the Achaemenid Empire ( c. 550–330 BC ). It is situated in the plains of Marvdasht , encircled by
4305-454: The shah , in person. The satrap was allowed to have troops in his own service. The great satrapies (provinces) were often divided into smaller districts, the governors of which were also called satraps and (by Greco-Roman authors) also called hyparchs (actually Hyparkhos in Greek, 'vice-regents'). The distribution of the great satrapies was changed repeatedly, and often two of them were given to
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4410-464: The 16 Regions into which New Zealand is divided, and also the 21 District Health Boards. Sometimes the term the provinces is used to refer collectively to rural and regional parts of New Zealand, that is, those parts of the country lying outside some or all of the "main centres"— Auckland , Wellington , Christchurch , Hamilton and Dunedin . In many countries, a province is a relatively small non-constituent level of sub-national government, such as
4515-464: The 4th century BC, following his invasion of Iran in 330 BC, Alexander the Great allowed his troops to loot Persepolis. This palace was one of the few structures that escaped destruction in the burning of the complex by Alexander's army, and because of that, Tachara is the most intact building of Persepolis today. It is also the oldest structure at Persepolis. Tachara stands back to back to the Apadana , and
4620-414: The 72 original columns were still standing, due to either vandalism or natural processes. The Dutch traveler Cornelis de Bruijn visited Persepolis in 1704. The fruitful region was covered with villages until its frightful devastation in the 18th century; and even now it is, comparatively speaking, well cultivated. The Castle of Estakhr played a conspicuous part as a strong fortress, several times, during
4725-544: The Achaemenid dynasty was founded, although it was not the center of the empire at that time. Excavations of plaque fragments hint at a scene with a contest between Herakles and Apollo , dubbed A Greek painting at Persepolis . Persepolitan architecture is noted for its use of the Persian column , which was probably based on earlier wooden columns. The buildings at Persepolis include three general groupings: military quarters,
4830-630: The Ancient Nations , the native Iranian writer Biruni indicates unavailability of certain native Iranian historiographical sources in the post-Achaemenid era, especially during the Parthian Empire . He adds: "[Alexander] burned the whole of Persepolis as revenge to the Persians, because it seems the Persian King Xerxes had burnt the Greek City of Athens around 150 years ago. People say that, even at
4935-459: The Canadian government introduced a Goods and Services Tax (GST) to share the revenues, which proved unpopular both with provincial governments and taxpayers. The Canadian government has tried to harmonize the two levels of sales taxes, but three provinces continue to impose a separate sales tax (British Columbia after harmonizing it, and shortly thereafter de-harmonizing it after it was struck down by
5040-410: The Canadian government introduced an income tax during World War I , and since it is a direct tax it also became a major revenue generator for provinces. In most provinces, the federal government now collects income tax for both levels of government and transfers to the provincial governments whatever surcharge they ask for. The sales tax also become a major revenue generator for provinces, so in 1991
5145-587: The Constitution provided for stronger provincial powers. This provided an opportunity for forum shopping for provinces who opposed federal laws. Until appeals from Canada to the Privy Council were abolished in 1949, in legal disputes the provincial governments tended to win powers at the expense of the federal government. In addition, while the Canadian federal government has unlimited taxing power while province governments are restricted to imposing direct taxes ,
5250-501: The Encyclopædia Britannica, the Greek historian Ctesias mentioned that Darius I's grave was in a cliff face that could be reached with an apparatus of ropes. Around 519 BC, construction of a broad stairway was begun. Grey limestone was the main building material used at Persepolis. The uneven plan of the terrace, including the foundation, acted like a castle, whose angled walls enabled its defenders to target any section of
5355-511: The Great , Xerxes , Artaxerxes II and Artaxerxes III . The relevant passages from ancient scholars on the subject are set out below: Persepolis was the capital of the Persian kingdom. Alexander described it to the Macedonians as the most hateful of the cities of Asia, and gave it over to his soldiers to plunder, all but the palaces. (2) It was the richest city under the sun, and the private houses had been furnished with every sort of wealth over
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#17330558989435460-630: The Great , who conquered the Achaemenid Empire, and by his successors, the Diadochi (and their dynasties) who carved it up, especially in the Seleucid Empire , where the satrap generally was designated as strategos (in other words, military generals); but their provinces were much smaller than under the Persians. They would ultimately be replaced by conquering empires, especially the Parthians . In
5565-465: The Great King endeavoured to meld elements from all his subjects into a new imperial style, especially at his capital, Persepolis . Whenever central authority in the empire weakened, the satrap often enjoyed practical independence, especially as it became customary to appoint him also as general-in-chief of the army district, contrary to the original rule. "When his office became hereditary, the threat to
5670-714: The Muslim period. It was the middlemost and the highest of the three steep crags which rise from the valley of the Kur , at some distance to the west or northwest of the necropolis of Naqsh-e Rustam . The French voyagers Eugène Flandin and Pascal Coste are among the first to provide not only a literary review of the structure of Persepolis, but also to create some of the best and earliest visual depictions of its structure. In their publications in Paris, in 1881 and 1882, titled Voyages en Perse de MM. Eugene Flanin peintre et Pascal Coste architecte ,
5775-464: The Parthian Empire were replaced with a system of "royal cities" which served as the seats of centrally appointed governors called shahrabs as well as the location of military garrisons. Shahrabs ruled both the city and the surrounding rural districts. Exceptionally, the Byzantine Empire also adopted the title "satrap" for the semi-autonomous princes that governed one of its Armenian provinces ,
5880-449: The Persians wanted to take advantage of their skills in the city but handicapped them so they could not easily escape. Alexander and his staff were disturbed by the story and provided the artisans with clothing and provisions before continuing on to Persepolis. Diodorus does not cite this as a reason for the destruction of Persepolis, but it is possible Alexander started to see the city in a negative light after this encounter. Upon reaching
5985-401: The Persians were betrayed by a captured tribal chief who showed the Macedonians an alternate path that allowed them to outflank Ariobarzanes in a reversal of Thermopylae . After several months, Alexander allowed his troops to loot Persepolis. Around that time, a fire burned "the palaces" or "the palace". It is believed that the fire which destroyed Persepolis started from Hadish Palace, which
6090-521: The Susa Palace served as Darius' model for Persepolis. Darius I ordered the construction of the Apadana and the Council Hall ( Tripylon or the "Triple Gate"), as well as the main imperial Treasury and its surroundings. These were completed during the reign of his son, Xerxes I . Further construction of the buildings on the terrace continued until the downfall of the Achaemenid Empire . According to
6195-557: The Tachara chateau and another staircase on the northeast connects to courtyard of the Council Hall. The Council Hall, the Tryplion Hall, the Palaces of D, G, H, storerooms, stables and quarters, the unfinished gateway and a few miscellaneous structures at Persepolis are located near the south-east corner of the terrace, at the foot of the mountain. It is commonly accepted that Cyrus the Great
6300-574: The approval of local voters. Not all first-level political entities are termed "provinces." In Arab countries, the first administrative level of government—called a muhafazah —is usually translated as a " governorate ." In Poland , the equivalent of "province" is " województwo ," sometimes rendered in English as " voivodeship ." Historically, New Zealand was divided into provinces , each with its own Superintendent and Provincial Council, and with considerable responsibilities conferred on them. However,
6405-570: The authority of a local government derives solely from the provincial government. Provinces can create, merge, and dissolve local governments without the consent of the federal government or the people in the affected locality. Alberta in particular dissolved and merged hundreds of local governments during the 1940s and 1950s as a consequence of the Great Depression . Other provinces have arbitrarily merged and annexed independent suburbs to major Canadian cities such as Toronto or Montreal without
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#17330558989436510-540: The authors provided some 350 ground breaking illustrations of Persepolis. French influence and interest in Persia's archaeological findings continued after the accession of Reza Shah , when André Godard became the first director of the archeological service of Iran. In the 1800s, a variety of amateur digging occurred at the site, in some cases on a large scale. The first scientific excavations at Persepolis were carried out by Ernst Herzfeld and Erich Schmidt representing
6615-528: The belief that they were constructed by Darius. With Darius I, the sceptre passed to a new branch of the royal house. The country's true capitals were Susa , Babylon and Ecbatana . This may be why the Greeks were not acquainted with the city until Alexander the Great took and plundered it. Darius I's construction of Persepolis was carried out parallel to that of the Palace of Susa . According to Gene R. Garthwaite,
6720-465: The buildings were never finished. Behind the compound at Persepolis, there are three sepulchers hewn out of the rock in the hillside. The Gate of All Nations , referring to subjects of the empire, consisted of a grand hall that was a square of approximately 25 m (82 ft) in length, with four columns and its entrance on the Western Wall. Darius I built the greatest palace at Persepolis on
6825-557: The central authority could not be ignored" (Olmstead). Rebellions of satraps became frequent from the middle of the 5th century BCE. Darius I struggled with widespread rebellions in the satrapies, and under Artaxerxes II occasionally the greater parts of Asia Minor and Syria were in open rebellion ( Revolt of the Satraps ). The last great rebellions were put down by Artaxerxes III . The satrapic administration and title were retained—even for Greco-Macedonian incumbents—by Alexander
6930-465: The city, Alexander stormed the Persian Gates , a pass through Zagros Mountains . There Ariobarzanes of Persis successfully ambushed Alexander the Great's army, inflicting heavy casualties. After being held off for 30 days, Alexander the Great outflanked and destroyed the defenders. Ariobarzanes himself was killed either during the battle or during the retreat to Persepolis. Some sources indicate that
7035-429: The colony (as it then was) never developed into a federation; instead, the provinces were abolished in 1876. The old provincial boundaries continue to be used to determine the application of certain public holidays . Over the years, when the central Government has created special-purpose agencies at a sub-national level, these have often tended to follow or approximate the old provincial boundaries. Current examples include
7140-527: The complex was raised high on a walled platform, with five "palaces" or halls of varying size, and grand entrances. It is still not entirely clear where the king's private quarters actually were. Until recently, most archaeologists held that it was primarily used for celebrating Nowruz , the Persian New Year, held at the spring equinox , which is still an important annual festivity in Iran. The Iranian nobility and
7245-485: The course of time. The lower city at the foot of the imperial city might have survived for a longer time; but the ruins of the Achaemenids remained as a witness to its ancient glory. The nearby Estakhr gained prominence as a separate city very shortly after the decline of Persepolis. It appears that much of Persepolis' rubble was used for the building of Istakhr. At the time of the Muslim invasion of Persia , Estakhr offered
7350-518: The creation of central government, with very little autonomy. The English word province is attested since about 1330 and derives from the 13th-century Old French province , which itself comes from the Latin word provincia , which referred to the sphere of authority of a magistrate , in particular, to a foreign territory. A popular etymology is from Latin pro- ("on behalf of") and vincere ("to triumph" or "to take control of"). Thus
7455-462: The descendant of *khshathrapavan is shahrbān ( شهربان ), but the components have undergone semantic shift so the word now means "town keeper" ( shahr شهر meaning "town" + bān بان meaning "keeper"). Although the first large-scale use of satrapies, or provinces, originates from the inception of the Achaemenid Empire under Cyrus the Great , beginning at around 530 BCE, provincial organization actually originated during
7560-448: The drinking was far advanced, as they began to be drunken, a madness took possession of the minds of the intoxicated guests. (2) At this point, one of the women present, Thais by name and Attic by origin, said that for Alexander it would be the finest of all his feats in Asia if he joined them in a triumphal procession, set fire to the palaces, and permitted women's hands in a minute to extinguish
7665-416: The eventual collapse of the upper part of the northern fortification wall, preserving the tablets until their recovery by the Oriental Institute 's archaeologists. In 316 BC, Persepolis was still the capital of Persia as a province of the great Macedonian Empire (see Diodorus Siculus xix, 21 seq., 46; probably after Hieronymus of Cardia , who was living about 326). The city must have gradually declined in
7770-473: The external front. After invading Achaemenid Persia in 330 BC, Alexander the Great sent the main force of his army to Persepolis by the Royal Road . Diodorus Siculus writes that on his way to the city, Alexander and his army were met by 800 Greek artisans who had been captured by the Persians. Most were elderly and suffered some form of mutilation, such as a missing hand or foot. They explained to Alexander
7875-489: The famed accomplishments of the Persians. (3) This was said to men who were still young and giddy with wine, and so, as would be expected, someone shouted out to form up and to light torches, and urged all to take vengeance for the destruction of the Greek temples . (4) Others took up the cry and said that this was a deed worthy of Alexander alone. When the king had caught fire at their words, all leaped up from their couches and passed
7980-789: The foundation of the Apadana Palace. Next to the Apadana, second largest building of the Terrace and the final edifices, is the Throne Hall or the Imperial Army's Hall of Honor (also called the Hundred-Columns Palace ). This 70 m × 70 m (750 sq ft × 750 sq ft) hall was started by Xerxes I and completed by his son Artaxerxes I by the end of the fifth century BC. Its eight stone doorways are decorated on
8085-536: The great king, king of kings, king of countries, son of Hystaspes, an Achaemenid. King Darius says: This is the kingdom which I hold, from the Sacae who are beyond Sogdia , to Kush , and from Sind ( Old Persian : 𐏃𐎡𐎭𐎢𐎺 , romanized: Hidauv , locative of Hiduš , i.e. " Indus valley ") to Lydia ( Old Persian : Spardâ ) – [this is] what Ahuramazda, the greatest of gods, bestowed upon me. May Ahuramazda protect me and my royal house! The reliefs on
8190-689: The heads of the Supreme Court of Canada to the Judicial Committee of the Privy Council in London . As well, provinces could bypass the Supreme Court and go directly to London from any Provincial Court . The Canadian Supreme Court tended to support the view that the Canadian Constitution was intended to create a powerful central government, but the Privy Council in London held the distinctly opposite view that
8295-435: The king's name, although in political reality many took advantage of any opportunity to carve themselves an independent power base. Darius the Great gave the satrapies a definitive organization, increased their number to thirty-six, and fixed their annual tribute ( Behistun inscription ). The satrap was in charge of the land that he owned as an administrator, and found himself surrounded by an all-but-royal court; he collected
8400-646: The modern welfare state has resulted in these functions, assigned to the provinces , becoming more important compared to those assigned to the federal government and thus provincial governments have become more important than the Fathers of Confederation originally intended. Canada's status as a federation of provinces under the Dominion of the British Empire rather than an independent country also had certain legal implications. Provinces could appeal court rulings over
8505-544: The oil refining capacity in Western Canada; Fort McMurray was once a city but dissolved itself and became an "urban service area" of 70,964 people within the Regional Municipality (R.M.) of Wood Buffalo , which has several multibillion-dollar oil sands plants; and Lloydminster , a city of 31,483 which sits directly astride the provincial border between Alberta and Saskatchewan. Unlike most such cases, Lloydminster
8610-540: The optimum-size political unit in pre-industrial Early Modern Europe . He asks, "Was the province not its inhabitants' true ' fatherland '?" Even centrally-organized France, an early nation-state , could collapse into autonomous provincial worlds under pressure, as during the sustained crisis of the French Wars of Religion (1562–98). The British colonies in North America were often named provinces. Most (but not all) of
8715-584: The overall European Union umbrella. Spain after Francisco Franco has been a "State of Autonomies", formally unitary but in fact functioning as a federation of Autonomous Communities , each exercising different powers. (See Politics of Spain .) While Serbia , the rump of former Yugoslavia , fought the separatists in the province of Kosovo , the United Kingdom , under the political principle of " devolution ", produced (1998) local parliaments in Scotland , Wales and Northern Ireland . In ancient India , unlike
8820-598: The present time, the traces of fire are visible in some places." On the upside, the fire that destroyed those texts may have preserved the Persepolis Administrative Archives by preventing them from being lost over time to natural and man-made events. According to archaeological evidence, the partial burning of Persepolis did not damage what are now referred to as the Persepolis Fortification Archive tablets, but rather may have caused
8925-649: The province"). The Median form is reconstructed as *khshathrapavan- . Its Sanskrit cognate is kshatrapa ( क्षत्रप ). The Biblical Hebrew form is aḥashdarpan אֲחַשְׁדַּרְפָּן , as found in Esther 3:12. In the Parthian (language of the Arsacid Empire ) and Middle Persian (the language of the Sassanian Empire ), it is recorded in the forms šahrab and šasab , respectively. In modern Persian
9030-470: The ruins of Persepolis was published as part of his Relaçam in 1611. In 1618, García de Silva Figueroa , King Philip III of Spain 's ambassador to the court of Abbas I , the Safavid monarch, was the first Western traveler to link the site known in Iran as "Chehel Minar" as the site known from Classical authors as Persepolis. Pietro Della Valle visited Persepolis in 1621, and noticed that only 25 of
9135-413: The same man. As the provinces were the result of consecutive conquests (the homeland had a special status, exempt from provincial tribute), both primary and sub-satrapies were often defined by former states and/or ethno-religious identity. One of the keys to the Achaemenid success was their open attitude to the culture and religion of the conquered people, so the Persian culture was the one most affected as
9240-515: The site in the medieval period was Čehel Menâr ( Persian : چهل منار , "Forty Minarets "), transcribed as Chilminara in De Silva Figueroa and as Chilminar in early English sources. Persepolis is near the small river Pulvar, which flows into the Kur River . The site includes a 125,000 m (1,350,000 sq ft) terrace, partly artificially constructed and partly cut out of
9345-581: The south and north with reliefs of throne scenes and on the east and west with scenes depicting the king in combat with monsters. Two colossal stone bulls flank the northern portico. The head of one of the bulls now resides in the Oriental Institute in Chicago and a column base from one of the columns in the British Museum . At the beginning of the reign of Xerxes I, the Throne Hall was used mainly for receptions for military commanders and representatives of all
9450-405: The southern Zagros mountains , Fars province of Iran . It is one of the key Iranian cultural heritage sites and a UNESCO World Heritage Site since 1979. The earliest remains of Persepolis date back to 515 BC. The city, acting as a major center for the empire, housed a palace complex and citadel designed to serve as the focal point for governance and ceremonial activities. It exemplifies
9555-529: The staircases allow one to observe the people from across the empire in their traditional dress, and even the king himself, "down to the smallest detail". The Apadana hoard is a hoard of coins that were discovered under the stone boxes containing the foundation tablets of the Apadana Palace in Persepolis. The coins were discovered in excavations in 1933 by Erich Schmidt , in two deposits, each deposit under
9660-608: The state or province is sovereign, such as the environment or health standards, agreements made at the national level can create jurisdictional overlap and conflicting laws. This overlap creates the potential for internal disputes that lead to constitutional amendments and judicial decisions that alter the balance of powers. Though foreign affairs do not usually fall under a province's or a federal state's competency, some states allow them to legally conduct international relations on their own in matters of their constitutional prerogative and essential interest. Sub-national authorities have
9765-478: The subject nations of the empire. Later, the Throne Hall served as an imperial museum. Tachara , was the exclusive palace of Darius the Great at Persepolis. Only a small portion of the palace was finished under his rule, it was completed after the death of Darius in 486 BC, by his son and successor, Xerxes , who called it a Taçara, which means "winter palace" in Old Persian. It was then used by Artaxerxes I . In
9870-416: The taxes, controlled the local officials and the subject tribes and cities, and was the supreme judge of the province before whose "chair" ( Nehemiah 3:7) every civil and criminal case could be brought. He was responsible for the safety of the roads (cf. Xenophon), and had to put down brigands and rebels. He was assisted by a council of Persians, to which also provincials were admitted and which
9975-482: The title of "province" and are still known as such to the present day. To 19th- and 20th-century historians, in Europe, centralized government was a sign of modernity and political maturity. In the late 20th century, as the European Union drew nation-states closer together, centripetal forces seemed simultaneously to move countries toward more flexible systems of more localized, provincial governing entities under
10080-1082: The treasury, and the reception halls and occasional houses for the King. Noted structures include the Great Stairway, the Gate of All Nations , the Apadana , the Hall of a Hundred Columns, the Tripylon Hall and the Tachara , the Hadish Palace, the Palace of Artaxerxes III , the Imperial Treasury, the Royal Stables, and the Chariot House. Ruins of a number of colossal buildings exist on the terrace. All are constructed of dark-grey marble. Fifteen of their pillars stand intact. Three more pillars have been re-erected since 1970. Several of
10185-437: The tributary parts of the empire came to present gifts to the king, as represented in the stairway reliefs. It is also unclear what permanent structures there were outside the palace complex; it may be better to think of Persepolis as only one complex rather than a "city" in the usual sense. The exploration of Persepolis from the early 17th century led to the modern rediscovery of cuneiform writing and, from detailed studies of
10290-436: The trilingual Achaemenid royal inscriptions found on the ruins, the initial decipherment of cuneiform in the early 19th century. Persepolis is derived from the Greek Περσέπολις , Persepolis , a compound of Pérsēs ( Πέρσης ) and pólis ( πόλις , together meaning "the Persian city" or "the city of the Persians"). To the ancient Persians, the city was known as Pārsa ( Old Persian : 𐎱𐎠𐎼𐎿 ), which
10395-546: The two deposition boxes that were found. The deposition of this hoard is dated to c. 515 BC . The coins consisted in eight gold lightweight Croeseids , a tetradrachm of Abdera , a stater of Aegina and three double- sigloi from Cyprus . The Croeseids were found in very fresh condition, confirming that they had been recently minted under Achaemenid rule. The deposit did not have any Darics and Sigloi , which also suggests strongly that these coins typical of Achaemenid coinage only started to be minted later, after
10500-563: The western side of platform. This palace was called the Apadana . The King of Kings used it for official audiences. Foundation tablets of gold and silver were found in two deposition boxes in the foundations of the Palace. They contained an inscription by Darius in Old Persian cuneiform , which describes the extent of his Empire in broad geographical terms, and is known as the DPh inscription: Darius
10605-401: The word along to form a victory procession [epinikion komon] in honor of Dionysius. (5) Promptly, many torches were gathered. Female musicians were present at the banquet, so the king led them all out for the komos to the sound of voices and flutes and pipes, Thais the courtesan leading the whole performance. (6) She was the first, after the king, to hurl her blazing torch into the palace. As
10710-411: The years. The Macedonians raced into it, slaughtering all the men whom they met and plundering the residences; many of the houses belonged to the common people and were abundantly supplied with furniture and wearing apparel of every kind... 72 (1) Alexander held games in honor of his victories. He performed costly sacrifices to the gods and entertained his friends bountifully. While they were feasting and
10815-579: Was buried in the Tomb of Cyrus in Pasargadae , which is mentioned by Ctesias as his own city. If it is true that the body of Cambyses II was brought home "to the Persians," his burying place must be somewhere beside that of his father. Ctesias assumes that it was the custom for a king to prepare his own tomb during his lifetime. Hence, the kings buried at Naghsh-e Rostam are probably Darius I , Xerxes I , Artaxerxes I and Darius II . Xerxes II , who reigned for
10920-450: Was controlled by a royal secretary and emissaries of the king, especially the "eye of the king", who made an annual inspection and exercised permanent control. There were further checks on the power of each satrap: besides his secretarial scribe, his chief financial official (Old Persian ganzabara ) and the general in charge of the regular army of his province and of the fortresses were independent of him and periodically reported directly to
11025-508: Was the living quarters of Xerxes I , and spread to the rest of the city. It is not clear if the fire was an accident or a deliberate act of revenge for the burning of the Acropolis of Athens during the second Persian invasion of Greece . Many historians argue that, while Alexander's army celebrated with a symposium , they decided to take revenge against the Persians. If that is so, then the destruction of Persepolis could be both an accident and
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