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This massive bull’s head once guarded the “hundred-columned” Throne Hall of the Persian king Xerxes at Persepolis. Horns and ears would originally have been attached as separate pieces.

Although the bull is carved in the Persian court style, the use of guardian figures, the symbolic importance of bulls, and even the curls of hair on the bull’s forehead are all borrowed from the earlier Assyrian empire.

Learning Resources

Name: Persepolis Bull

Material: Dark gray limestone

Size:
Height: 2.28 m (7 ft 6 in)
Depth: 2.43 m (8 ft)
Width: 1.49 m (4 ft 11 in)

Date: 486-425 BCE

Place of Origin: Persepolis, Iran

Location: Oriental Institute Museum, Chicago, Illinois

Source and Registration#:
Oriental Institute Museum A24065

Geoff Emberling

Former Chief Curator, Oriental Institute Museum of the University of Chicago