PERSEP'OLIS (Lat., from Gk. IlepalroXls, IlepactiroMs, City of the Persians). The Greek name of the capital of the Persian Empire under Darius 1. and his successors. The native name is unknown. The locality is identified with the principal group of ruins, the Takhti Jemshed or Throne of Jemshed, the traditional founder of Persepolis, and is called also Tchil Minar or Forty Pillars. The city is supposed to have ex tended throughout the whole valley of the Medus above its confluence with the Araxes (now the Polar and the Bendemer respectively), overlook ing the beautiful mountain-girt and fertile plain of Murgliab, north of Lake Taslik or Nargis. Part of the site was occupied later by the nu portant Sassanian city of Istakhr. The only re mains of Persepolis are the ruins of buildings erected by Darius Hystaspis, Xerxes, Artaxerxes, and other Ach:emenians, which are scattered throughout the valley of the Polar, about 30 miles northeast of Shiraz on the road to Ispahan. The ruins comprise three principal groups: (I) Takhti deinshed, already referred to, situated at the foot of a lofty mountain range, in which, at a considerable elevation, hewn out of the solid rock. are three finely sculptured sepulchres; (2) Naks-i-Rustam—the picture of Rustem, so called from the relief adornments—consisting of four similar rock-hewn sepulchres cut in a perpendicu lar cliff at a considerable height, about six miles to the northeast on the opposite hank of the Pol var; (3) the remains at Haji Abad on the Pol var, about four miles north of Takhti Jemshed, of an ancient fire temple, which was in a perfect state of preservation in the tenth century Al),,. and then served as the mosque of the City of lstakhr. The tombs of Nakshi Rustem are those of Darius 1., which bears a long inscription iden tifying it, and probably of Xerxes I., Artaxerxes I., and Darius 11., and those behind Takhti Jem shed once held the bodies of Artaxerxes 11., Artaxerxes 111., and Darius III.
Takhti Jemshed, the most important of the groups of ruins, is situated on a vast terrace of cyclopean masonry built at the base of and backed by the Mountain of the Tombs. The vast substructure is about 1500 feet north by south, and about 800 feet east by west, and was surrounded, according to Diodorus Siculus, by a triple wall of 10, 32, and 60 cubits respec tively. The whole area is further divided into three terraces, the lowest toward the south, the northern about 550 feet long and 35 feet high, the central 800 feet square, and rising 45 feet above the plain. No traces of structures are to be found on the lowest, platform; the northern supports the Propylaqt of Xerxes; and the cen tral platform was occupied by the foremost struc tures, distinguished as the Great Hall of Xerxes, the Palace of Xerxes, and the Palace of Darius, towering one above the other in successive eleva tions from the ground. The stone used for the buildings is dark gray marble, cut into gigantic square blocks, and in many cases exquisitely polished. The ascent from the plain to the great northern platform is formed by two double flights, the steps of which are nearly 22 feet wide, 31/2 inches high, and 15 inches in the tread, so that travelers have been able to ascend them on horse back. The of Xerxes on this platform are two masses of stonework, which probably formed an entrance gateway for foot passengers, paved with gigantic slabs of polished marble.
Portals still standing bear figures of animals 15 feet high, closely resembling the Assyrian bulls of Nineveh. The building, conjectured to have been a ball 82 feet square, is, according to the inscription, the work of Xerxes. An expanse of 162 feet divides this platform from the central one, which still bears many of the columns of the Ball of Xerxes, from which the ruins take their subsidiary name. The staircase leading up to the 'Ishii Minar or Forty Pillars is, if possible, even more magnificent than the first. The walls are more richly decorated with sculptures, represent ing colossal warriors with spears, gigantic bulls, combats with wild beasts, and processions; while broken capitals, shafts. pillars, and countless fragments of buildings, with cuneiform inscrip tions, corer the whole vast space of this platform. The pillars were arranged in four divisions, con sisting of a central group six feet deep every way, and an advanced body of twelve in two ranks, the same number flanking the centre. Only thirteen of the columns now remain. Their form is very beautiful. Their height is 60 feet, the circum ference of the shaft 16 feet, the length from the capital to the torus 44 feet. The shaft is finely fluted in 52 divisions; at its lower extremity be gin a cincture and a torus, the first two inches in depth, and the latter one foot, whence de volves the pedestal, shaped like the cup and leaves of the pendent lotus, the capitals having been snrmounted by the double semi-bull. The Great Hall of Xerxes is computed to have been a rectangle of about 301) to 350 feet, and eonse quently to have covered 2y acres. Behind the Hall of Xerxes was the so-called Hall of a Hundred Columns, to the south of which are indications of another structure, termed the central edifice. Next along the west front stood the Palace of Darius, and to the south the Palace of Xerxes, measuring about SO feet square, similarly deco rated.
Persepolis replaced Pasargada (q.v.) as the capital of Persia under Darius I., by whom and his successors the city was extended and en larged. It surrendered to Alexander the Great (n.c. 331) after the defeat of Ariobarzanes at the battle of Gaugamela. Ariobarzanes again offered battle, but was killed, whereupon Alex ander ordered a general massacre, sacked the city, and, acting—it is doubtfully chronicled—on the suggestion of Thais the courtesan, fired the palaces of Takhti Jemshed. Although fifteen years later was still the capital of Persia, it gradually sank into insignificance, un til upon its ruins lstakhr rose into prominence about A.D. 200, and for centuries was a consider able centre of administrative, religious, and com mercial activity. It was a formidable opponent of the Moslem invasion, suffered severely, and also passed out of existence, but, unlike its great predecessor, left few traces of its ancient glory.
Consult: Nincrth and Persepolis (Lon don, 1850: 4th ed. 1852) ; Fergusson. The Pal aces of Ninereh and Persepolis Restored (ib., IS5I) Rawlinson, The Fire Great Monarchies. vol. iii. (ib., 1871) Myers, Remains of Lost Em pires I New York, 1S75) : Stolze. Persepolis (Ber lin, 1882) Dieulafoy, L'art antique de la Perse (Paris. 1884-S9) Blundell, "Persepolis," in Transactions of the Congress of Orientalists, vol. ii. (London, 1892) Curzon, Persia and the Per sian Question (ib., 1S92).