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Persepolis - Treasury

Unless otherwise indicated, pictures on this page © Marco Prins and Jona Lendering. Photos can be downloaded and used for non-commercial purposes, but you have to acknowledge Livius.

The Treasury of Persepolis. Photo Ab Langereis.

The Treasury of Persepolis (map #2), from the northeast. It belongs to the oldest building phase of Persepolis, the great design by king Darius I the Great. The other main element was the Apadana, where the great king received tribute from all the nations in the Achaemenid Empire, and gave presents in return.

This gift exchange was one of the central elements in the Persian royal ideology, and the Treasury (here seen from the northwest) was, therefore, one of the most important symbols of the great king's power. It is no coincidence that Alexander the Great, in 330, selected the Apadana and the Treasury to be destroyed, together with the Palace of Xerxes.

The Treasury of Persepolis, from the southeast. Photo Marco Prins.

Many people were employed to keep the gold and silver shining: from the Fortification tablets, it is known that in 467 BCE, no less than 1348 people were employed in the Treasury (here seen from the southeast). It was rebuilt several times. You can find a satellite photo here.

Pharnaces paying honor ('proskynesis') to king Darius the Great. Relief from Persepolis. Archaeological museum of Tehran (Iran). Photo Marco Prins.

In the Treasury, two almost identical reliefs were found, which once decorated the eastern and northern stairs (picture) of the Apadana. It is not known why they were removed.

In the Treasury, several weights were found: large, heavy blocks of diorite with an inscription. Below, you can see a weight of 120 and 60 karša. The inscriptions, which mention king Darius, are known as DWc and DWd.

The weight known as DWc

The weight known as DWd

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