Period 3 · c. 2000 BCE-651 CE

Ancient Near East

Beyond Mesopotamia, the ancient Near East ran from the rock-cut city of Petra in Jordan to the palaces of Persepolis in Iran. Its peoples traded, fought and borrowed from one another, from the Persian kings to the Nabataeans and the Sasanians. Start here for the art of the lands between Egypt, Greece and India.

Elevated view of the royal terrace, columns and gateways at Persepolis. — Persepolis, royal terrace, founded c. 518 BCE by Darius I. Limestone and mud brick on a stone platform. Fars province, Iran. Look at the platform first, raised above the plain, then at the columns and doorways that survive on top of it.Photo: Hamidhassas, CC BY-SA 4.0, via Wikimedia Commons

Featured

Start with these

Ancient Near East

Ancient Persian Art: Empires, Styles and Key Sites

Persian kings borrowed motifs from everyone they ruled. Was the result a new style, or an empire’s collection of old ones?Start here6 min read

Ancient Near East

Persepolis, the Persian Ceremonial Capital Founded by Darius

Darius I began Persepolis around 518 BCE on a vast terrace, as a stage for royal ceremony rather than a working capital.5 min read

Most read first

All Ancient Near East guides

Ancient Persian Art: Empires, Styles and Key Sites

Persian kings borrowed motifs from everyone they ruled. Was the result a new style, or an empire’s collection of old ones?6 min read

Persepolis, the Persian Ceremonial Capital Founded by Darius

Darius I began Persepolis around 518 BCE on a vast terrace, as a stage for royal ceremony rather than a working capital.5 min read