Chapter 4 – Section 3
Persia Attacks the Greeks
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Male Narrator: Kingdoms were growing in size, but the bigger they became the harder
it was for leaders to communicate their power. Their new subjects simply couldn’t see
them. Around 500 BC this problem was particularly acute for one king above all. He’d
taken control of a kingdom so large it was the world’s first empire. He needed to find a
new way to impose his power across all of this vast territory. He was Darius the Great,
the king of the Persians and his capital was Persepolis. Persepolis is in Iran, one of
the wonders of the ancient world. Two thousand five hundred years ago it stood at the
heart of Darius’ vast empire, an empire that stretched thousands of miles from the
Mediterranean in the west to India in the east. From here Darius ruled over millions of
people, across more than 20 nations. He carved the names of the most far flung
nations on a block of solid gold and buried it under Persepolis for posterity. But how on
earth, could he rule over so many diverse peoples? Darius came up with a plan, a new
kind of political leadership which he outlined in a series of inscriptions. Their message
was radical. Rather than war and brutality, Darius offered peace and cooperation.
Male Speaker #1: “In a war between two nations I intervene to protect the weak, I am
justice and have been asked by God to promote happiness.”
Male Narrator: Darius’ brainwave was the beginning of nothing less than an artistic
revolution. The walls of Persepolis are covered with awe inspiring images, but there
was something unusual about them. These stone reliefs are not just from one artistic
style, but combine elements from all over the empire.
The most spectacular reliefs of all are those decorating the staircase that leads to the
great hall of Darius. Once a year Darius would invite ambassadors from every nation
within his empire to join him here and as they arrived all the ambassadors passed up
the staircase for their audience with the king, so this was their approach to one of the
most imposing monuments in the ancient world.
The ambassador’s eyes would have been drawn to these figures, the conquered
peoples of the empire. All are shown in their national costumes bringing tributes to the
king. No scenes of war and retribution, they’re happy to honor Darius, so Darius had
found an inspired solution to his problem, a way of communicating his political vision
through art, the international language of images.
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Content Provided by BBC Motion Gallery
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