Persepolis: Artaxerxes Palace Hall of 100 Columns

According to the inscription known as A1Pb, construction of the Hall of Hundred Columns at Persepolis was started by the Achaemenid king Xerxes; the building was finished by his son and successor Artaxerxes I Makrocheir (465-424). This throne hall was Persepolis’ second largest building, measuring 70 x 70 meters.

At an unknown moment, its function was changed and it became a store room, probably because the Treasuryhad become too small to contain all treasures that were hoarded in Persepolis. A new function may have been envisioned, however, because Artaxerxes III Ochus was building a new road and a new gate to the palace, suggesting that the Hall of Hundred Columns might have been used for audience.

The entrance was to the north, where a portico was decorated by two large bulls. The entrances themselves – two on each of the four sides of the square building – were decorated with the usual motifs:. audience scenes, throne scenes, and “royal warriors” fighting against wild animals.