Reconstruction of the Darius the Great Statue, standing 3 meters tall without its head. Made in Egypt under Darius and brought to Iran by Xerxes, it was too heavy for Alexander the Great to topple, so he broke its head and struck the body, with his sword marks still visible on the statue. [1322×992]
On December 24, 1972, the Iranian–French archaeological team discovered one of the most significant works of the ancient world on the west side of the entrance to Darius’s palace in Susa. They uncovered a larger-than-life statue of Darius the Great, with no head. After excavating the surrounding areas and still not finding its head, experts concluded that when Alexander the Great invaded in 330 BC, he (or his soldiers) attempted to destroy the statue. But due to its immense weight (6 tons), he was unable to topple it, so he broke off its head and struck the statue with his sword. A major reason that reinforces this conclusion is the presence of multiple sword marks identified on the statue, which remain clearly visible.
Darius himself ordered the statue to be carved in Wadi Hammamat in eastern Egypt, and it was transported to Susa in southwestern Iran by his son and successor, Xerxes I. Darius is depicted wearing Persian dress and armed with an acinaces at his belt. The statue was originally painted, as traces of red pigment still remain on its shoes. The reconstruction is colored red for this reason, as it is a scientific reconstruction. The statue is made from gray granite, and its base is designed in Egyptian style, featuring a depiction of Hapi. The sides of the base represent the numerous vassal nations under Darius’s rule, totaling 24. It is also suggested that during its time in Egypt, the statue stood in front of the Temple of Atum in Heliopolis. There are also four inscriptions on the statue in Old Persian, Elamite, and Babylonian:
1- “This is the statue, made of stone, which Darius ordered to be made in Egypt. This is how everyone who will see this in the future, will know that Iranians own Egypt.”
2- “A great god is Ahuramazda, who created this earth, who created yonder sky, who created man, who created happiness for man, and who made Darius king.”
3- “I am Darius, the great king, king of kings, king of all peoples, king in this great earth far and wide, the son of Hystaspes, an Achaemenid. May Ahuramazda protect me and what I did”
4- “Atum, the god of Heliopolis, has chosen him [Darius] to be the lord of all those who are surrounded by the sun’s rays, because he knows that he [Darius] is his [Atum] son. Neith, the goddess of Sais, also chose Darius to become the Lord of the world.”
Is this statue the last individual, physical thing we have that we know Alexander was in contact with?
lacostewhite on
The symbols on the sides representing the 24 vassal nations is fascinating. I was just yesterday reading up on the tombs of Darius, Xerxes, and their dynasty, and their mausoleums have the same symbols depicting the vassal nations during their reigns.
anon1mo56 on
The Alexander part sound like bs.
badstuffaround on
Does any source actually say Alexander struck the statue or is it “believed” he did that?
STRYKER3008 on
Alexander trying to get them loot drops after a tough raid haha. Quite interesting tho, wonder if there was like any supernatural belief like “if he couldn’t topple the statue somehow his conquest wasn’t complete” or smtg like that
7 Comments
On December 24, 1972, the Iranian–French archaeological team discovered one of the most significant works of the ancient world on the west side of the entrance to Darius’s palace in Susa. They uncovered a larger-than-life statue of Darius the Great, with no head. After excavating the surrounding areas and still not finding its head, experts concluded that when Alexander the Great invaded in 330 BC, he (or his soldiers) attempted to destroy the statue. But due to its immense weight (6 tons), he was unable to topple it, so he broke off its head and struck the statue with his sword. A major reason that reinforces this conclusion is the presence of multiple sword marks identified on the statue, which remain clearly visible.
Darius himself ordered the statue to be carved in Wadi Hammamat in eastern Egypt, and it was transported to Susa in southwestern Iran by his son and successor, Xerxes I. Darius is depicted wearing Persian dress and armed with an acinaces at his belt. The statue was originally painted, as traces of red pigment still remain on its shoes. The reconstruction is colored red for this reason, as it is a scientific reconstruction. The statue is made from gray granite, and its base is designed in Egyptian style, featuring a depiction of Hapi. The sides of the base represent the numerous vassal nations under Darius’s rule, totaling 24. It is also suggested that during its time in Egypt, the statue stood in front of the Temple of Atum in Heliopolis. There are also four inscriptions on the statue in Old Persian, Elamite, and Babylonian:
1- “This is the statue, made of stone, which Darius ordered to be made in Egypt. This is how everyone who will see this in the future, will know that Iranians own Egypt.”
2- “A great god is Ahuramazda, who created this earth, who created yonder sky, who created man, who created happiness for man, and who made Darius king.”
3- “I am Darius, the great king, king of kings, king of all peoples, king in this great earth far and wide, the son of Hystaspes, an Achaemenid. May Ahuramazda protect me and what I did”
4- “Atum, the god of Heliopolis, has chosen him [Darius] to be the lord of all those who are surrounded by the sun’s rays, because he knows that he [Darius] is his [Atum] son. Neith, the goddess of Sais, also chose Darius to become the Lord of the world.”
More info and images:
[https://vici.org/vici/55310/](https://vici.org/vici/55310/)
[https://www.livius.org/articles/place/susa/susa-photos/susa-statue-of-darius/](https://www.livius.org/articles/place/susa/susa-photos/susa-statue-of-darius/)
[https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Egyptian_statue_of_Darius_the_Great](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Egyptian_statue_of_Darius_the_Great)
[http://www.achemenet.com/en/visit/?/susa/the-statue-of-darius/1](http://www.achemenet.com/en/visit/?/susa/the-statue-of-darius/1)
Is this statue the last individual, physical thing we have that we know Alexander was in contact with?
The symbols on the sides representing the 24 vassal nations is fascinating. I was just yesterday reading up on the tombs of Darius, Xerxes, and their dynasty, and their mausoleums have the same symbols depicting the vassal nations during their reigns.
The Alexander part sound like bs.
Does any source actually say Alexander struck the statue or is it “believed” he did that?
Alexander trying to get them loot drops after a tough raid haha. Quite interesting tho, wonder if there was like any supernatural belief like “if he couldn’t topple the statue somehow his conquest wasn’t complete” or smtg like that
The reconstruction is giving Team America vibes.