The Persian Empire and Media
Although we don’t meet Alexander the Great directly in the Bible record, Bible students recognise him clearly in Bible prophecy. Approximately 200 years before Alexander began his campaign to conquer the world, the Hebrew prophet Daniel was inspired to write of a series of beasts that represented great empires. First, he wrote of a great ram: Continue reading
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Post 28 – In modern Iran is a remarkable ancient site. Carved into the face of a mountain near the ancient Persian capital of Persepolis, are the tombs of 4 ancient kings. These kings once ruled the Medo-Persian empire. These 4 kings are mentioned in the Bible. From the left side: Continue reading
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Post 27 – While Shushan was the winter palace of the Persian kings, the main capital was at Persepolis. Today the spectacular ruins of the palace may be visited near the city of Shiraz in Iran. In the 1930’s, archeologists working on the site excavated thousands of official Continue reading
Photo by author. Illustration (Right) by Charles Chipiez c.1892 {{PD}} Wikimedia Commons
Post 26 – French archeologists excavating the ruins of the palace of Ahasuerus (Xerxes I) uncovered massive columns that supported the roof of the audience hall (Right Pic). Topping the columns were colossal ornamental pillar tops called capitals carved in the Continue reading
Photo credit: Darafsh Kaviyani (CC BY-SA 3.0) Wikimedia Commons.
Post 25 – Shushan the Citadel, the palace of the Persian King Ahasuerus (Xerxes I) this week in #weeklybiblereadingarcheology. This site is located on the edge of the Iranian city of Shush. It was excavated beginning in the 1890’s right through to the 1960’s. The foundations that you can see were largely built up in modern times to help visitors see the layout of the palace. You can see for yourself the features of the palace described in the book of Esther. Continue reading
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Post 22 – Some of Nehemiah’s wall survives and may be seen in a couple of places in old Jerusalem! Pictured above is the “Broad Wall” referred to at Nehemiah 3:8. It is 8 meters wide (26 ft), truly a broad wall. Continue reading
Post 21 – We read about Cyrus again this week (Ezra 6:3). In Pasargadae Iran, the tomb of Cyrus the Great may be visited to this day. The tomb is relatively modest when compared with the royal tombs of Egypt, Assyria, Babylonia and Rome, although at one time it was surrounded by a beautiful courtyard. The 2500 year old tomb survives in pretty good shape, although it was robbed of its contents not long after its construction. One reason for its survival is that it is considered the earliest example of “base-isolated” construction, making it earthquake resilient. According to ancient records, the tomb once had an inscription: “Passer-by, I am Cyrus, who gave the Persians an empire and was king of Asia. Grudge me not therefore this monument.” #weeklybiblereadingarcheology #biblereadingarcheology #biblereadingarchaeology
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