Image Details

The Oriental Institute, University of Chicago

Crown Prince Xerxes (Ahasuerus of the Book Esther) stands behind his enthroned father, Darius. This audience scene was carved in stone relief on a stairway of the Apadana, the main banquet hall of the Persepolis palace. Built about 465 B.C., the palace of Xerxes has been acclaimed as the most magnificent structure of Achaemenian times.