ABSTRACT
Looking at Persian arts through an Elamite lens forces a re-examination of traditional art historical paradigms and recognition of the extent to which the marginalization of Elam has stripped Persian art of its intrinsic meaning. While other cultural influences and channels of transmission cannot be denied, this chapter shows that Elamite artistic heritage provided basic manufacturing, artistic and ideological tenets for the genesis of Persian art and the representation of Persian royal power. The chapter deals with the complex manufacturing processes of Persian low-relief sculpture and glazed-brick panels, both of which reveal distinct continuities with Elam. Appreciation of the crucial role that mud-brick played in the building of the Persian apadana and related monumental architecture was initially impeded by an emphasis on the solid, visible parts of the archaeological record. The examination of Persian sculpture concentrates on the winged guardian from Pasargadae, the facade of the Tomb of Darius I at Naqsh-e Rostam and the Persepolis apadana staircase reliefs.
