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56-582: The Palace of Darius in Susa was a palace complex that was built at the site of Susa , Iran , during the reign of Darius I over the Achaemenid Empire . The construction was conducted parallel to that of Persepolis . Manpower and raw materials from various parts of the Achaemenid Empire contributed to its construction. It was once destroyed by fire and was partially restored later; little has remained from

112-399: A compromise on their part and therefore avoid an armed confrontation. Nabonidus was staying in the city at the time and soon fled to the capital, Babylon, which he had not visited in years. Cyrus' conquest of Susa and the rest of Babylonia commenced a fundamental shift, bringing Susa under Persian control for the first time. Strabo stated that Cyrus made Susa an imperial capital though there

168-539: A fire during the reign of Artaxerxes I fifty years earlier. The palace was captured and plundered by the invading Macedonians under Alexander the Great in December 330 BC. The site of the palace has been greatly damaged during the past seven decades. Construction was carried out at Susa parallel to those at Persepolis . Built on an artificially raised platform 15 metres (49 ft) high, covering 100 hectares (250 acres),

224-524: A grant from the Shelby White Levy Program. Roman Ghirshman took over direction of the French efforts in 1946, after the end of the war. Together with his wife Tania Ghirshman , he continued there until 1967. The Ghirshmans concentrated on excavating a single part of the site, the hectare sized Ville Royale, taking it all the way down to bare earth. The pottery found at the various levels enabled

280-419: A large palace . During this time he describes his new capital in an inscription: "This palace which I built at Susa, from afar its ornamentation was brought. Downward the earth was dug, until I reached rock in the earth. When the excavation had been made, then rubble was packed down, some 40 cubits in depth, another part 20 cubits in depth. On that rubble the palace was constructed." The city forms

336-543: A large portion of the current structure is actually a much later construction dated to the late nineteenth century, c.  1871 . Susa is further mentioned in the Book of Jubilees (8:21 & 9:2) as one of the places within the inheritance of Shem and his eldest son Elam ; and in 8:1, "Susan" is also named as the son (or daughter, in some translations) of Elam. The site was examined in 1836 by Henry Rawlinson and then by A. H. Layard . In 1851, some modest excavation

392-559: A mountain named Lebanon -- from there was brought. The Assyrian people, it brought it to Babylon ; from Babylon the Carians and the Ionians brought it to Susa. The yakâ -timber was brought from Gandara and from Carmania . The gold was brought from Sardis and from Bactria , which here was wrought. The precious stone lapis lazuli and carnelian which was wrought here, this was brought from Sogdiana . The precious stone turquoise , this

448-483: A serving dish, and a small jar—implies the consumption of three types of food, apparently thought to be as necessary for life in the afterworld as it is in this one. Ceramics of these shapes, which were painted, constitute a large proportion of the vessels from the cemetery. Others are coarse cooking-type jars and bowls with simple bands painted on them and were probably the grave goods of the sites of humbler citizens as well as adolescents and, perhaps, children. The pottery

504-759: A short time, such cabinets were also being made in Paris , where their makers became known as ébénistes , which remains the French term for a cabinetmaker. Modern uses are largely restricted to small items, such as crucifixes , the main body of some musical instruments such as the clarinet , oboe , or piccolo and musical instrument parts, including black piano , organ , and harpsichord keys; violin , viola , mandolin , guitar , double bass , and cello fingerboards ; tailpieces ; tuning pegs ; chinrests ; and bow frogs . Many plectrums , or guitar picks, are made from ebony. Traditionally, black chess pieces were made from ebony, with boxwood or ivory being used for

560-448: A stratigraphy to be developed for Susa. From 1969 until 1979 excavations were conducted under Jean Perrot . In 2019 the Susa salvage project was launched to counter the construction of a transportation underpass in the vicinity of the site. In urban history , Susa is one of the oldest-known settlements of the region. Based on calibrated carbon-14 dating , the foundation of a settlement there occurred as early as 4395 BC. In

616-412: Is carefully made by hand. Although a slow wheel may have been employed, the asymmetry of the vessels and the irregularity of the drawing of encircling lines and bands indicate that most of the work was done freehand. Copper metallurgy is also attested during this period, which was contemporary with metalwork at some highland Iranian sites such as Tepe Sialk . As many as 40 copper axes have been found at

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672-407: Is found at Susa. According to some scholars, Susa may have been a colony of Uruk. There is some dispute about the comparative periodization of Susa and Uruk at this time, as well as about the extent of Uruk influence in Susa. Recent research indicates that Early Uruk period corresponds to Susa II period. Daniel T. Potts, argues that the influence from the highland Iranian Khuzestan area in Susa

728-682: Is hard to think of any colonial system lasting that long. The spread of Uruk material is not evidence of Uruk domination; it could be local choice". Susa III (3100–2700 BC) is also known as the ' Proto-Elamite ' period. At this time, Banesh period pottery is predominant. This is also when the Proto-Elamite tablets first appear in the record. Subsequently, Susa became the centre of Elam civilization. Ambiguous reference to Elam ( Sumerian : 𒉏 , romanized:  NIM ) appear also in this period in Sumerian records. Susa enters recorded history in

784-458: Is located on the site of ancient Susa. The English name Susa is derived from Ancient Greek Soûsa ( Σοῦσα ), which is ultimately derived from an original Elamite name, which was written as Šušen ( 𒀸𒋗𒊺𒂗 ) in its Middle Elamite form, Šušun ( 𒋢𒋢𒌦 ) in its Middle and Neo-Elamite forms, Šušan ( 𒀸𒋗𒐼𒀭 ) in its Neo- Elamite and Achaemenid forms, and Šuša ( 𒀸𒋗𒐼 ) in its Achaemenid Elamite form. Susa

840-650: Is often cited as one of the most expensive woods in the world, along with African blackwood , sandalwood , pink ivory and agarwood . In 2011, the Gibson Guitar company was raided by the US Fish and Wildlife Service for violations of the Lacey Act of 1900 , which prohibits the illegal importation of threatened woods and other materials. An ebony and rosewood expert at the Missouri Botanical Garden calls

896-751: The Ancient Egyptian hbny , through the Ancient Greek ἔβενος ( ébenos ), into Latin ( ebenus ) and Middle English . Species of ebony include Diospyros ebenum (Ceylon ebony), native to southern India and Sri Lanka ; D. crassiflora (Gabon ebony), native to western Africa ; D. humilis (Queensland ebony), native to Queensland , the Northern Territory , New Guinea and Timor ; and D. celebica ( Sulawesi ebony), native to Indonesia and prized for its luxuriant, multi-colored wood grain. Mauritius ebony, D. tessellaria ,

952-617: The Babylonian empire plundered Susa around fifty years later. In 647 BC, Neo-Assyrian king Ashurbanipal leveled the city during a war in which the people of Susa participated on the other side. A tablet unearthed in 1854 by Austen Henry Layard in Nineveh reveals Ashurbanipal as an "avenger", seeking retribution for the humiliations that the Elamites had inflicted on the Mesopotamians over

1008-548: The Early Dynastic period of Sumer . A battle between Kish and Susa is recorded in 2700 BC, when En-me-barage-si is said to have "made the land of Elam submit". In the Sumerian period, Susa was the capital of a state called Susiana (Šušan), which occupied approximately the same territory of modern Khūzestān Province centered on the Karun River . Control of Susiana shifted between Elam , Sumer, and Akkad . During

1064-555: The Elamite monarchy , many riches and materials were brought to Susa from the plundering of other cities. This was mainly due to the fact of Susa's location on Iran's South Eastern region, closer to the city of Babylon and cities in Mesopotamia. The use of the Elamite language as an administrative language was first attested in texts of ancient Ansan, Tall-e Mal-yan, dated 1000 BC. Previous to

1120-548: The Sumerian king of Kish in Mesopotamia . Three dynasties ruled during this period. Twelve kings of each of the first two dynasties, those of Awan (or Avan ; c. 2400–2100 BC) and Simashki (c. 2100–1970 BC), are known from a list from Susa dating to the Old Babylonian period . Two Elamite dynasties said to have exercised brief control over parts of Sumer in very early times include Awan and Hamazi ; and likewise, several of

1176-464: The Great during his conquest of Elam (Susiana), of which Susa was the capital. The Nabonidus Chronicle records that, prior to the battle(s), Nabonidus had ordered cult statues from outlying Babylonian cities to be brought into the capital, suggesting that the conflict over Susa had begun possibly in the winter of 540 BC. It is probable that Cyrus negotiated with the Babylonian generals to obtain

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1232-695: The Middle Elamite period began with the rise of the Anshanite dynasties. Their rule was characterized by an "Elamisation" of Susa, and the kings took the title "king of Anshan and Susa". While, previously, the Akkadian language was frequently used in inscriptions, the succeeding kings, such as the Igihalkid dynasty of c. 1400 BC, tried to use Elamite. Thus, Elamite language and culture grew in importance in Susiana. This

1288-701: The Museum of the Louvre throughout the late 1890s and early 1900s. De Morgan's most important work was the excavation of the Grande Tranchée in the Acropole mound, where he found the stele of Naram-Sin , a collection of Babylonian kudurrus (boundary stones), the stele bearing the Code of Hammurabi , an ornamented bronze table of snakes, the bronze statue of Queen Napir-Asu , and thousands of inscribed bricks. His finds showed Susa to be

1344-597: The Susa cemetery, as well as 10 round discs probably used as mirrors. Many awls and spatulas were also found. The cemetery of Chega Sofla , from the same timeframe, provides a lot of similar material, with many sophisticated metal objects. Chega Sofla is located in the same geographical area. Susa came within the Uruk cultural sphere during the Uruk period . An imitation of the entire state apparatus of Uruk, proto-writing , cylinder seals with Sumerian motifs, and monumental architecture

1400-595: The University of Pennsylvania in Philadelphia says, "they Susanians are participating entirely in an Uruk way of life. They are not culturally distinct; the material culture of Susa is a regional variation of that on the Mesopotamian plain". Gilbert Stein, director of the University of Chicago's Oriental Institute, says that "An expansion once thought to have lasted less than 200 years now apparently went on for 700 years. It

1456-475: The books of Ezra (Ezra 4:9), Nehemiah (Nehemiah 1:1) and Daniel (Daniel 8:2). According to these texts, Nehemiah lived in Susa during the Babylonian captivity of the 6th century BC (Daniel mentions it in a prophetic vision), while Esther became queen there, married to King Ahasuerus , and saved the Jews from genocide . A tomb presumed to be that of Daniel is located in the area, known as Shush-Daniel . However,

1512-446: The centuries: "Susa, the great holy city, abode of their gods, seat of their mysteries, I conquered. I entered its palaces, I opened their treasuries where silver and gold, goods and wealth were amassed. . . .I destroyed the ziggurat of Susa. I smashed its shining copper horns. I reduced the temples of Elam to naught; their gods and goddesses I scattered to the winds. The tombs of their ancient and recent kings I devastated, I exposed to

1568-430: The complex at Susa consists of a residential palace, an apadana (audience hall), and a monumental gate. A covered passage (" Propylaeum ") faces these structures. The apadana at Susa is similar to that of Persepolis , using the distinctive Persian column , topped by two bulls, which was probably developed here. Sources describing Achaemenid-era Susa are rare. The Achaemenid constructions at Susa are mostly known through

1624-503: The complex, which is today part of an archaeological site. The palace complex was constructed by the Achaemenid king Darius I in Susa , his favorite capital. Construction works continued under Darius I's son, Xerxes , and to a lesser extent, Artaxerxes I (465–424 BC) and Darius II (423–404 BC). Artaxerxes II (404–358 BC) partially restored the palace as it was destroyed by

1680-555: The course of excavation. Almost all of the excavations at Susa, post-1885, were organized and authorized by the French government. In two treaties in 1894 and 1899, the French gained a monopoly on all archaeological excavations in Iran indefinitely. Jacques de Morgan , after visiting the site in 1891, conducted major excavations from 1897 until 1911. The excavations that were conducted in Susa brought many artistic and historical artifacts back to France. These artifacts filled multiple halls in

1736-417: The era of Elamites, the Akkadian language was responsible for most or all of the text used in ancient documents. Susiana was incorporated by Sargon the Great into his Akkadian Empire in approximately 2330 BC. The main goddess of the city was Nanaya , who had a significant temple in Susa. The Old Elamite period began around 2700 BC. Historical records mention the conquest of Elam by Enmebaragesi ,

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1792-568: The former Achaemenid capital, he argues that Susa even more represented Achaemenid simultaneous rulership, and "what was symbolic was actualized", such that Darius's rule "could command craftsmen and material from the breadth of the empire" to build the monument, as is described in Darius' "charter of foundation" of the palace (or the DSf inscription ), which enumerates the workers and the material used: This palace which I built at Susa, from afar its ornamentation

1848-454: The most important center of Elamite civilization , which was effectively discovered by the French mission at Susa. Excavation efforts continued under Roland De Mecquenem until 1914, at the beginning of World War I . French work at Susa resumed after the war, led by De Mecquenem, continuing until World War II in 1940. To supplement the original publications of De Mecquenem the archives of his excavation have now been put online thanks to

1904-756: The neighbouring territories and became the king of Elam . He encouraged the use of the Linear Elamite script, that remains undeciphered. The city was subsequently conquered by the neo-Sumerian Third Dynasty of Ur and held until Ur finally collapsed at the hands of the Elamites under Kindattu in ca. 2004 BC. At this time, Susa was ruled by Elam again and became its capital under the Shimashki dynasty. Numerous artifacts of Indus Valley civilization origin have been found in Susa from this period, especially seals and etched carnelian beads , pointing to Indus-Mesopotamia relations during this period. Around 1500 BC,

1960-601: The organization of the society that commissioned them. Painted ceramic vessels from Susa in the earliest first style are a late, regional version of the Mesopotamian Ubaid ceramic tradition that spread across the Near East during the fifth millennium BC. Susa I style was very much a product of the past and of influences from contemporary ceramic industries in the mountains of western Iran. The recurrence in close association of vessels of three types—a drinking goblet or beaker,

2016-461: The region around Susa were a number of towns (with their own platforms) and villages that maintained a trading relationship with the city, especially those along the Zagro frontier. The founding of Susa corresponded with the abandonment of nearby villages. Potts suggests that the settlement may have been founded to try to reestablish the previously destroyed settlement at Chogha Mish , about 25 km to

2072-565: The royal inscriptions, which are mostly trilingual—in Old Persian , Elamite , and Babylonian . Unlike the massive number of clay tablets found in Persepolis , only few clay tablets have been found in Susa, despite its important political and economic situation. According to Gene R. Garthwaite, the Susa Palace served as Darius' model for Persepolis . Comparing the palace to that of Pasargadae ,

2128-542: The setting of The Persians (472 BC), an Athenian tragedy by the ancient Greek playwright Aeschylus that is the oldest surviving play in the history of theatre . Events mentioned in the Old Testament book of Esther are said to have occurred in Susa during the Achaemenid period. The King Ahasuerus mentioned in that book may refer to Xerxes I (486-465 BC). Ebony The word ebony comes from

2184-505: The site is still recognizable today in the artistry of the ceramic vessels that were placed as offerings in a thousand or more graves near the base of the temple platform. Susa's earliest settlement is known as the Susa I period (c. 4200–3900 BC). Two settlements named by archaeologists the Acropolis (7 ha) and the Apadana (6.3 ha), would later merge to form Susa proper (18 ha). The Apadana

2240-447: The stone, those were Ionians and Sardians. The goldsmiths who wrought the gold, those were Medes and Egyptians. The men who wrought the wood, those were Sardians and Egyptians. The men who wrought the baked brick , those were Babylonians. The men who adorned the wall, those were Medes and Egyptians. Darius the King says: At Susa a very excellent (work) was ordered, a very excellent (work)

2296-453: The stronger Sumerian rulers, such as Eannatum of Lagash and Lugal-anne-mundu of Adab , are recorded as temporarily dominating Elam. Susa was the capital of an Akkadian province until ca. 2100 BC, when its governor, Kutik-Inshushinak , rebelled and made it an independent state and a literary center. Also, he was the last from the Awan dynasty according to the Susa kinglist. He unified

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2352-472: The sun, and I carried away their bones toward the land of Ashur. I devastated the provinces of Elam and, on their lands, I sowed salt." Assyrian rule of Susa began in 647 BC and lasted till Median capture of Susa in 617 BC. Susa underwent a major political and ethnocultural transition when it became part of the Persian Achaemenid empire between 540 and 539 BC when it was captured by Cyrus

2408-417: The west. Previously, Chogha Mish was a very large settlement, and it featured a similar massive platform that was later built at Susa. Another important settlement in the area is Chogha Bonut , which was discovered in 1976. Shortly after Susa was first settled over 6000 years ago, its inhabitants erected a monumental platform that rose over the flat surrounding landscape. The exceptional nature of

2464-531: The white pieces. Modern East Midlands-style lace-making bobbins , also being small, are often made of ebony and look particularly decorative when bound with brass or silver wire. Some expensive handgun grips and rifle fore-end tips are still made of ebony, as are the butts of pool cues . As a result of unsustainable harvesting, many species yielding ebony are now considered threatened. Most indigenous ebony in Africa in particular has been cut down illegally . Ebony

2520-689: Was (brought to completion). Me may Ahuramazda protect, and Hystaspes my father, and my country. Susa Susa ( / ˈ s uː s ə / SOO -sə ; Middle Elamite : 𒀸𒋗𒊺𒂗 , romanized:  Šušen ; Middle and Neo- Elamite : 𒋢𒋢𒌦 , romanized:  Šušun ; Neo- Elamite and Achaemenid Elamite : 𒀸𒋗𒐼𒀭 , romanized:  Šušan ; Achaemenid Elamite : 𒀸𒋗𒐼 , romanized:  Šuša ; Persian : شوش Šuš [ʃuʃ] ; Hebrew : שׁוּשָׁן Šūšān ; Ancient Greek : Σοῦσα Soûsa ; Syriac : ܫܘܫ Šuš ; Middle Persian : 𐭮𐭥𐭱𐭩 Sūš or 𐭱𐭥𐭮 Šūs ; Old Persian : 𐏂𐎢𐏁𐎠 Çūšā )

2576-477: Was also the period when the Elamite pantheon was being imposed in Susiana. This policy reached its height with the construction of the political and religious complex at Chogha Zanbil , 30 km (19 mi) south-east of Susa. In ca. 1175 BC, the Elamites under Shutruk-Nahhunte plundered the original stele bearing the Code of Hammurabi and took it to Susa. Archeologists found it in 1901. Nebuchadnezzar I of

2632-738: Was an ancient city in the lower Zagros Mountains about 250 km (160 mi) east of the Tigris , between the Karkheh and Dez Rivers in Iran. One of the most important cities of the Ancient Near East , Susa served as the capital of Elam and the winter capital of the Achaemenid Empire , and remained a strategic centre during the Parthian and Sasanian periods. The site currently consists of three archaeological mounds, covering an area of around 1 square kilometre (0.39 sq mi). The city of Shush

2688-483: Was brought from Chorasmia , which was wrought here. The silver and the ebony were brought from Egypt . The ornamentation with which the wall was adorned, that from Ionia was brought. The ivory which was wrought here, was brought from Ethiopia [Nubia] and from Sind and from Arachosia . The stone columns which were here wrought, a village named Abiradu, in Elam -- from there were brought. The stone-cutters who wrought

2744-442: Was brought. Downward the earth was dug, until I reached rock in the earth. When the excavation had been made, then rubble was packed down, some 40 cubits in depth, another (part) 20 cubits in depth. On that rubble the palace was constructed. And that the earth was dug downward, and that the rubble was packed down, and that the sun-dried brick was molded, the Babylonian people -- it did (these tasks). The cedar timber , this --

2800-472: Was done by William Loftus , accompanied by Fenwick Williams , who identified it as Susa. Among his finds was a jar containing around 110 coins, the earliest of which was dated to 697-98 AD. In 1885 and 1886 Marcel-Auguste Dieulafoy and Jane Dieulafoy began the first French excavations, discovering glazed bricks, column bases, and capitals from the palace of the Achaemenid kings. However, they failed to identify mudbrick walls, which were then destroyed in

2856-453: Was enclosed by 6 metre thick walls of rammed earth (this particular place is named Apadana because it also contains a late Achaemenid structure of this type). Nearly two thousand pots of Susa I style were recovered from the cemetery, most of them now in the Louvre . The vessels found are eloquent testimony to the artistic and technical achievements of their makers, and they hold clues about

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2912-559: Was far larger than Susa at the time, Susa was not its colony, but still maintained some independence for a long time, according to Potts. An architectural link has also been suggested between Susa, Tal-i Malyan, and Godin Tepe at this time, in support of the idea of the parallel development of the Proto-Cuneiform and proto-elamite scripts. Some scholars believe that Susa was part of the greater Uruk culture. Holly Pittman, an art historian at

2968-729: Was largely exploited by the Dutch in the 17th century. Some species in the genus yield an ebony with similar physical properties, but striped rather than the even black of D. ebenum . Ebony has a long history of use, and carved pieces have been found in Ancient Egyptian tombs. By the end of the 16th century, fine cabinets for the luxury trade were made of ebony in Antwerp . The wood's dense hardness lent itself to refined moldings framing finely detailed pictorial panels with carving in very low relief ( bas-relief ), usually of allegorical subjects, or with scenes taken from classical or Christian history. Within

3024-414: Was more significant at the early period, and also continued later on. Thus, Susa combined the influence of two cultures, from the highland area and from the alluvial plains . Potts also stresses the fact that the writing and numerical systems of Uruk were not simply borrowed in Susa wholesale. Rather, only partial and selective borrowing took place, that was adapted to Susa's needs. Despite the fact that Uruk

3080-461: Was no new construction in that period so this is in dispute. Under Cyrus' son Cambyses II , Susa became a center of political power as one of four capitals of the Achaemenid Persian empire, while reducing the significance of Pasargadae as the capital of Persis. Following Cambyses' brief rule, Darius the Great began a major building program in Susa and Persepolis , which included building

3136-657: Was one of the most important cities of the Ancient Near East . In historic literature , Susa appears in the very earliest Sumerian records: for example, it is described as one of the places obedient to Inanna , patron deity of Uruk , in Enmerkar and the Lord of Aratta . Susa is mentioned in the Ketuvim of the Hebrew Bible by the name Shushan, mainly in the Book of Esther , but also once each in

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