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This carved stone relief from Persepolis shows three different groups of foreigners bringing tribute to the Persian capital. From top to bottom, these are from Haraiva (today in Afghanistan), Babylonia, and Syria. Each group is represented with different clothing and hairstyles as well as distinct gifts.

These differences tell us how the Persian court saw these foreign groups that were part of the empire—local views may have shown a more diverse social pattern.

Portrait from a Young Man’s Mummy

Name: Foreigners Bringing Tribute to the Persian Court

Material: Limestone

Size: Height: 3 m (c. 10 ft)

Date: 522-465 BCE, Achaemenid Period, Reigns of Darius I and Xerxes I

Place of Origin: Apadana, Persepolis, Iran

Location: Oriental Institute Museum, Chicago

Source and Registration#: Oriental Institute Museum N. 15241

Geoff Emberling

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