Chapter 04
Seats of Power
Royal
Cities
A constellation of palaces and capitals served ceremonial, political and strategic roles.
01
Ceremonial Capital
Persepolis
A monumental stone terrace where architecture staged the unity and diversity of imperial rule.
Founded by Darius I and expanded by Xerxes and their successors, Persepolis contained audience halls, palaces, treasuries and gateways. Reliefs showed delegations from across the empire approaching the king with gifts.
Explore Persepolis →02
Administrative Capital
Susa
An ancient Elamite city remade as a centre of royal administration and ceremony.
Darius’s palace brought materials and craftspeople from across the empire. Its glazed brick decoration, columned halls and multilingual foundation texts expressed the reach of royal resources.
Explore Susa →03
First Dynastic Capital
Pasargadae
The palace landscape of Cyrus and the site traditionally identified with his tomb.
Its freestanding palaces, gardens and stone platforms differ from the later concentration of buildings at Persepolis. Pasargadae became a place of dynastic memory for subsequent Persian kings.
Explore Pasargadae →04
Imperial Metropolis
Babylon
The ancient Mesopotamian capital incorporated into Cyrus’s empire in 539 BCE.
Achaemenid kings governed through Babylon’s established institutions while its palaces, temples and scribal culture remained active. Cuneiform tablets preserve a detailed record of economic and administrative life under Persian rule.
Explore Babylon →05
Western Satrapal Capital
Sardis
A wealthy Lydian capital that became Persia’s principal administrative centre in western Anatolia.
Cyrus conquered Sardis in the sixth century BCE after defeating Croesus. Under Achaemenid rule, the city governed a strategically important satrapy and marked the western end of the Royal Road linking Anatolia with the imperial court at Susa.
Explore Sardis →