Archers’ frieze with palmettes and festoons

Iran, Susa, Palace of Darius I, 522-486 B.C., frit of silica and lime

Deepening

In Mesopotania, the first evidence of the use of glazed bricks in architecture with a decorative function was found, especially on the outer walls of palaces. Such architectural application is brilliantly exemplified by these bricks from the famous Archers’ Frieze, from the palace of Darius I at Susa: the reliefs should date from Artaxerxes II (404-358 BC). These small tiles of the frieze come from the Louvre Museum in Paris where you can admire the panel that adorned the facades of the royal palace. These elegantly decorated elements have outlines in relief, in white on an iridescent green-blue background.

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