The seal of Darius the Great

One of Darius' seals, an agate cylinder of about 3.7 centimeters high, engraved with a picture of the king hunting from his chariot, was probably found in a tomb near Thebes (Egypt) and is now in the British Museum. The illustration is very traditional: a royal lion hunt, including a slain animal underneath the horses of the chariot, was also visible in the palace of king Aššurbanipal of Assyria. We know that two centuries after Darius, Alexander the Great still presented himself as an Asian king by hunting lions, and even the Roman emperor Hadrian appears to have appreciate the symbolism: the ruler beating the violent forces of nature. It is possible, however, that this theme was especially dear to Darius, because in his funeral inscription at Naqš-i Rustam, he claims that "I am a good bowman, both on foot and on horseback" (DNb).