The Deep Blue Beards of the Achaemenids

Hairy Matters in Studying Ancient Persian Art

Professor Alexander Nagel

Columbia University Faculty House

Tuesday, September 26th 5p

Description:  Recent scientific analysis and investigation into the surface of stone monuments at Persepolis and relief fragments from the site confirm that the now grey facades were once
brightly painted. This talk provides an introduction into ongoing research and highlights recent results of these scientific investigations by focusing mainly on the role of facial hair and the attitudes of official court art towards the presentation of rulers such as Darius I and Xerxes I. The talk also contextualizes research on pigments from the facades of monuments on sites such as Persepolis, Pasargadae, and Susa within a wider socio-cultural framework by addressing aspects of modern iconographical studies about official Achaemenid court art. A survey of approaches investigating the polychromies on ancient West Asian monuments and its modern reception highlights interesting historiographical aspects and helps us as we continue to engage with the making of the mineral universe of Achaemenid Persia.

Alexander Nagel (Ph.D., University of Michigan, Ann Arbor) is Assistant Professor and Chair of the Art History and Museum Professions Program at the State University of New York’s Fashion Institute of Technology in Manhattan. As a Research Associate in Residence at the Smithsonian Institution in Washington, DC, he curated and co-curated several exhibitions and
research projects, focusing on the cultures and the legacies of the ancient Mediterranean, Egypt, Arabia, West and Central Asia in Washington, D.C. Prof. Nagel is actively involved in the research and publication of materials from fieldwork in Greece, Iran, and elsewhere. His book “Color and Meaning in the Art of Achaemenid Persia” (Cambridge University Press, 2024) investigates the use of polychromies in the art and architecture of ancient Iran by focusing on stone facades at Persepolis and their modern reception.

Please note:
RSVP to Angie Henon at ath2149@columbia.edu whether you will attend the talk or both the talk and the dinner after the discussion. Also note that the Faculty House has returned to charging $30 for dinner, for which they ask that you pay with a personal check to the order of Columbia University.

Co-chaired by Marie McCrone & Mahnaz Moazami


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