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The Afterlife of the Achaemenid Throne on Minted Coinage

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The Afterlife of the Achaemenid Throne on Minted Coinage Seat of Power: The Afterlife of the Achaemenid Throne on Minted Coinage Seat of Power: The Afterlife of the Achaemenid Throne on Minted Coinage Brittany Proffitt In this article, I argue that the image of the enthroned Achaemenid Great King from the Apadana Audience Relief in Persepolis is incorporated and reused first on the satrapal coinage of the late Achaemenid Empire, then by Alexander the Great and his successor Lysimachus till it enters the iconographic language of Roman Imperial coinage. While the symbolism of the Audience Relief within the Achaemenid Empire has been examined to some extent, direct tracing of the Audience Relief’s appearance on coinage from Persia to Rome has not been undertaken. I demonstrate how the iconography of the Achaemenid throne maintains its significance as a symbol of regal authority, even as it shifts from a motif of Achaemenid legitimacy to a sign of a generalized right to rule in Greek and Roman coinage. I also describe the unique physiognomy of the throne itself, whose features are the clearest representation of the Audience Relief’s usage. Finally, I demonstrate that the Audience Relief motif’s longevity and adaptations became synonymous with ideas of power and right to rule, aspects that numerous subsequent rulers, Persian and non-Persian alike, adopted for themselves. Institute for European and Mediterranean Archaeology 1 volume 11iv 1 6/8/21 5:11 PM Brittany Proffitt This article aims to trace the repeated usage the Audience Relief’s possible modes of of the Achaemenid royal throne on coinage transmission between the different cultures from the Achaemenid through the Roman of the Mediterranean. It is my goal to Empires. While similarities between the demonstrate that this Achaemenid motif, coinages of the Persian satraps and Alexander which depicts a particular conception of the Great have been previously noted,1 royal power, was adopted and adapted in this is to my knowledge the first attempt the centuries following the Achaemenid at demonstrating the continual presence of Empire. Although the original context and the Achaemenid throne on coinage straight meaning for the motif was undoubtedly no through to the reign of Julius Caesar. I will longer fully understood by the time of the focus on the throne’s evolved usage starting Romans, I demonstrate that the imagery in the sixth century BCE with the Audience was still used to display a sense of regal Relief from the Apadana in Persepolis. While authority and right to rule. not the first such audience scene of its kind, the Audience Relief in particular provides us The Apadana Audience Relief with a centralized message of the role of the Achaemenid king as master of his empire The Audience Relief discussed here is not and uses the Achaemenid royal throne as the only example of a king sitting upon a a key facet of that portrayal. This article throne; examples of similar constructions builds on the monumental work on the art can be found in Babylonian and Egyptian and architecture of the Achaemenid Empire art. However, as Root points out, the that has already been conducted by the likes Apadana’s Audience Relief is currently of Margaret Cool Root and Margaret Miller the only example of such a motif in by expanding on the message and meaning monumental form for which we have behind specific Achaemenid motifs and clear documentation.3 While the Audience examining how other cultures adopted Relief may not be the precise origin for these motifs for their own use.2 I focus on the coinages being discussed herein, it can the Audience Relief’s abbreviated form certainly be described as a primary source.4 and its representation on coinage from the While the exact date of the Apadana reliefs Achaemenid to the Roman Empire, which is is still an ongoing discussion, the general signaled primarily by the continued usage suggested range seems to center around the of the Achaemenid throne. The location of end of the sixth century BCE.5 Achaemenid these objects is given close attention, as is king Darius I is thought to have designed the Figure 1. Audience Relief scene, Central Panel. Apadana Palace, Persepolis. Courtesy of livius.org. 2 Chronika volume 11iv 2 6/8/21 5:11 PM Seat of Power: The Afterlife of the Achaemenid Throne on Minted Coinage sculptural program of the large hypostyle of the Great King in profile has potential hall known as the Apadana and was origins in Assyrian, Babylonian, Egyptian, possibly responsible for its construction.6 and possibly Mesopotamian art.12 Farkas The exact date and builder for the Apadana notes that while the similar compositions reliefs is not of particular importance to this of enthroned kings might be simply article, but rather the focus here is on the coincidental (as there are only a limited composition and underlying message of the number of ways to depict such an image), Audience Relief. The Relief itself is located the fact that the motif was common in on the North Stairs of the Apadana, which neighboring cultures implies it was adopted lead to the large audience hall beyond. by the Achaemenids, rather than invented In the relief, the Great King is depicted by them independently.13 Rather than create larger than life in the central panel.7 He such a motif themselves, the Achaemenids is enthroned with his feet resting upon a seem to have adopted royal iconographic footstool, while holding a lotus in his left conventions long established in the region, hand and a scepter at a slant in his right. and used them to ‘bestow an archaic Behind him are the Crown Prince, a Magus, authority’ upon their rule.14 The overall and a weapon-bearer who is thought to be Achaemenid ideological program focused holding the Great King’s bow.8 The throne less on the realities of empire and more and scepter are both important insignia of on an idealized vision aimed at political the Great King, and elsewhere at Persepolis persuasion.15 the King is often depicted enthroned with these items.9 The left panel (wing A) of This idealized vision of rule certainly seems the relief depicts the Great King’s guards to apply to the Audience Relief. Two separate and courtiers, while the right panel (wing interpretations have been offered for this B) depicts various embassies from across relief, both of which are plausible, and the Achaemenid Empire bringing tribute both of which seek to convey a message of to the Great King. These subject peoples imperial harmony and the rule of the Great are wholly generic representations, King over his subjects. One interpretation differentiated only through their dress or suggests that the Audience Relief possesses the items they carry. However, these subject a message of harmonious imperial order peoples appear commonly in Persian relief richly shaded to suggest a divinely sanctioned and piously applied covenant of sculpture, as the variety of subjects within 16 the Achaemenid repertoire was limited rulership. Root has also suggested that the consisting of the Great King, attendants, roles of everyone depicted have been raised the crown prince, nobles, military figures, one level in the hierarchy: the Great King and subjects.10 The sculptural program of has assumed the status of the focal divinity Persepolis (and by extension the Apadana in the composition, the courtiers become Palace) was seemingly designed for non- minor deities, and the embassies become suppliants whose gifts take on the value Persian visitors, “…to convince them not 17 only of their totally subservient position, of votive offering, which also fits with but that it was the king rather than his god Boardman’s interpretation that such reliefs to whom they owed allegiance.”11 were meant to message to non-Persians that they owed allegiance to the Great King What is seen in the Audience Relief may above all.18 Whether this was indeed the be an analog for the events that might intended message of the relief, gift giving have taken place in the real audience hall does seem to play an important role both in beyond, though perhaps on a more limited the composition of the work and in Persian scale as it is doubtful that so many different culture more broadly. As Miller notes, giving embassies would be at Persepolis at once. gifts was a crucial element of hospitality Most critical is the underlying message of within Persian diplomatic exchange, and its the sculptural program. The seated image inclusion in the Audience Relief reinforces Institute for European and Mediterranean Archaeology 3 volume 11iv 3 6/8/21 5:11 PM Brittany Proffitt the importance of patronage between the Persian royal throne, footstool, or dais, and Great King and his subjects.19 However, it suggests that the design was ascribed to was often the Achaemenid king who did the royalty and possibly signified the dynastic gift giving, not the subjects, as we see in throne. The aspects of this formula are the Audience Relief. This seeming reversal many and complex, so I will only discuss of an essential symbol of hospitality within the main identifying features here.22 The Persian culture brings us to the second primary distinguishing element of the possible interpretation of the Audience leg design is the series of “rolls” resting Relief. upon a lion’s paw.23 These rolls seem to suggest woodwork, but as Miller notes, The second interpretation suggests that “the discovery of thick metal rings at certain items depicted in the Audience Relief Altintepe [modern Turkey], evidently the correlate to features of a military camp. projecting ‘rolls’ of the legs, suggests that In particular, Jamzadeh claims that “the the furniture should be understood as in presence of the implements of an audience origin a metal type, and only in imitation at the camp, that is the stool, the rugs and executed in wood.”24 The base of the leg the men with whips, further stresses the is a short cylinder, above which rests a format of an audience euphemizing the 20 ‘drooping sepal’ motif, a slightly conical, brutal conquest” of the subject peoples.
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