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Lot 139

An Achaemenid grey stone inscribed column base fragment

7 July 2016, 10:30 BST
London, New Bond Street

Sold for £75,700 inc. premium

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An Achaemenid grey stone inscribed column base fragment
Iran, circa 5th-4th Century B.C.
Inscribed with six lines of Old Persian text for King Artaxerxes II Memnon (404-358 B.C.), 31cm long

Footnotes

Provenance:
UK private collection.
Christie's, London, 06 October 2011, lot 29.
Sotheby's, London, 21 May 1992, lot 55.
Sotheby's, London, 18 May 1987, lot 87.

Published:
P. Knapton, M.R. Sarraf, J. Curtis, 'Inscribed Column Bases from Hamadan', Iran, XXXIX, The British Institute of Persian Studies, 2001, pp. 99-117.

The complete Old Persian text, reconstructed on the basis of parallel texts, is as follows: 'Saith Artaxerxes the Great King, King of Kings, King of countries, King in this earth, son of Darius the King, of Darius (who was) son of Artaxerxes the King, of Artaxerxes (who was) son of Xerxes who was son of Darius the King, of Darius who was son of Hystaspes, an Achaemenian. By the favour of Ahuramazda, Anaitis, and Mithras, this palace I built. May Ahuramazda, Anaitis and Mithras protect me from evil, and that which I have built may they not shatter or harm', (Kent 1953: 155).

Additional information

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