ABSTRACT

The landscape in which the so-called Achaemenid capitals – specifically Pasargadae, Susa and Persepolis – are located, may be reflections of the political structure of the Achaemenid Empire. Following an ancient Near Eastern pattern known as “political nomadism”, the Achaemenid king was never settled in a single place and moved constantly throughout his empire. This practice, vital to reinforce the bond between the king and his subjects and maintain his land, prevented the permanent presence of the “royal court” in one location; hence the court must have been physically set up in a “tent”, so majestic and glorious that was in fact a “mobile palace”. A large number of courtiers and the scenery of numerous tents looked like a “mobile city”. The present paper attempts to archaeologically evaluate the capacity of monumental buildings in Pasargadae, Susa, Persepolis, Ecbatana and Babylon as the royal court’s residences. It seems these monuments were primarily manifestations of kingly power and glory and the king only temporarily resided in them to attend certain banquets and ceremonies. Continuity of this condition in later periods, for which more literary evidence is available, provides a better ground for understanding the Achaemenid royal court and its relation to monumental buildings of the aforementioned sites.

摘要

所谓的阿契美尼德首都——特别是帕萨尔加德、苏萨和波斯波利斯——所在的景观可能反映了阿契美尼德帝国的政治结构。遵循一种被称为“政治游牧主义”的古代近东模式，阿契美尼德国王从未在一个地方定居，并在整个帝国中不断移动。这种做法对于加强国王与臣民之间的联系和维护他的土地至关重要，它阻止了“皇室”在一个地方的永久存在。因此，朝廷的实体一定是搭建在一个“帐棚”中，雄伟壮丽，实为“移动宫殿”。众多的朝臣和众多帐篷的景色，仿佛一座“流动的城市”。本文试图从考古学上评估 Pasargadae 纪念性建筑的容量，苏萨、波斯波利斯、埃克巴塔纳和巴比伦作为宫廷的住所。这些纪念碑似乎主要是国王权力和荣耀的体现，国王只是为了参加某些宴会和仪式而暂时居住在其中。这种情况在后期的延续，有更多的文学证据可供使用，为理解阿契美尼德王室及其与上述遗址的纪念性建筑的关系提供了更好的基础。