Reflection of mythological concepts in Achaemenid art jewelry

jewelry art along with other arts of the Achaemenid era represent the glory of Cyrus the Great and his successors' empire. Motifs and symbols engraved on jewelry and accessories of the Achaemenid era,are actually a representation of  thehistory of ancient  Persian beliefs that can be summarized in the form of art of the Achaemenid era. The use of this symbolic meanings in the art of jewelry in this period was influenced by culture, religion and mythology of previous periods as well as neighboring areas.  The aim of this study was to identify and study some mythological symbols and concepts that are prominent in the art of jewelry and accessories used in the Achaemenid era.

This article reviews motifs engraved on artwork samples, such as bracelets, necklaces and earrings at the Museum of Great Britain, Miho, Boston and the Louvre, showed that the beliefs of that era are well reflected in the form of symbolic meanings in the art of that period, especially in Jewelry. The evidence behind this claim is numerous motifs and symbolic concepts that can be seen repetitively in the Achaemenid art, including the use of Griffin, that is a legandary creature, on bracelets or armbands, the use of Forouhar in necklaces and earrings and the representation of the god Bes on earrings.

During the Achaemenid period, there was prosperity, especially in the court centers. This confirms the historical sources of ancient times and to some extent archaeological discoveries. However, there is not too many jewels form this period. The most important collections from Iran are a treasure trove inside a jug of water that was found near one of the Pasargad granges. There are also jewels in Achaemenid  art. For example, in Persepolis, glazed brick frame of Susa palace, the statue of Darius in Susa and the statue of Potahotep, treasurer of Egypt  under Darius Ι, that pictured in Iranian dress. The statue is now held at the Brooklyn museum.
Through excellent quality inlaid glittering ornamentation, the feature of Achaemenid jewelry is characterized. In this style, jewels are all decorated in different colors with pieces of precious stones, glass, ceramics and maybe enamel (Koch, 2008, 255-256).
The period of glamorous ornamentation in Achaemenid jewelry is seen in bracelets, earrings, necklaces and array of dresses (Curtis & Talis, 2012, 130).
The bracelets are usually with the animal's head at the end, that were very common during the Achaemenid era (Curtis & Talis, 2012, 130). A beautiful example of these bracelets is Karlsruhe, Germany. In this bracelet two lions are devouring two rams, still having their heads out of the mouths of the lions (Koch, 2008, 256-257). Of the finest examples of necklaces of this period, some of which are multidisciplinary, five were found from the coffin buried in Susa. The most usable gold necklaces, with gems of turquoise and azure stones were decorated, while other simple gold necklaces were lemon shaped (Curtis & Talis, 2012, 131). According to Persepolis motifs, it is clear that the necklace was only for the king and the elders unlike the bracelets (Mousavi, 2011, 169).
The most prominent from of Achaemenid earring is an annulated surface which do not produce the complete circle (Curtis & Talis, 2012, p. 131-132). Another type of earrings that is very rare and beautiful in the Achaemenid era have horse-shaped hinge, and were used in the ceremonies. These earrings are from treasures of Russian Akalgori and are unique (Culican, 2006, 137). 
Griffin is an animal  that usually has an eagle's head and sometimes a crown and a lion's body and a wing and sometimes a claw. Griffin species in the Middle East may have appeared during massive migration from the Northeast in the first half of the second millennium. Crowned eagle species became common in Mesopotamia and Syria in the 14th and 13th centuries BC (Hall, 2001, 64-65).
Mousavi says, “The whole composition of animals in art has a long history”. In Persepolis and in the battle scene between the king and the legendary animal, we find a greater combination but this composition, known as Griffin, is a pure Elamite art, which was accepted even in Egypt. 
Achaemenid Griffins of great size were used for capital of column. The Achaemenid Griffins during this period were mostly in stylized form and were abstracted (Jaberansari, 2008, 100-104). 
By the middle of the 19th century, western scholars firmly believed that in Achaemenid art, the representation of the winged circle, commonly seen in the upper torso of a dressed man, same as an Achaemenid king, was a symbol of Ahuramazda, the greatest god of Iranians. This background was taken from the land of Assyria, and the symbol of Assyria represented the great god of the Assyrians, in Iran too, this symbol should be the emblem of Ahuramazda, Assyrian Iranian counterpart (Shahbazi, 2012, 15). On the other hand, Iranian researchers, also had a hard time believing winged circle, represents Forouhar (in Avesta: Fravashi, and in modern Persian: Frohar) which is usually the same as the species peer and like the human spirit and the angel has been his guardian. It has long been known that the origin of the winged circle in the land of Egypt goes back to the third millennium (Shahbazi, 2012,15-17). This role was probably transferred  to the Achaemenids through Assyria and then the Medes (Raff, 1994, 183).
The policy of religious freedom pursued by the Achaemenids is well known in the socio-political history of the ancient world. If we see that the Achaemenids kings usually respected the great gods like Murdoch, Bell or Amun and that they even announced themselves messengers, it was more political, but the role of the god Bes may be an exception. Of the Egyptian gods, only Bes was widely accepted throughout the ancient Middle East. The Achaemenids were probably influenced by this general acceptance that used the role of this god in their artwork (Mousavi, 2011, 283-284).

The Achaemenids entered the realm of history as the adjacent lands with ancient civilizations and historical background in political, social, cultural and civilization terms. The Achaemenid contact with ancient civilizations in the form of conquest of these lands required them to take advantage of the culture and civilization of the advanced nations to make up for the gap. Thus, cultural, artistic and mythological themes were brought to the art and the Achaemenids became indebted to its civilized nations. Inspired by these artistic  elements, subsidiary tribes and neighboring civilizations combine and integrate with their indigenous art to create beautiful and unique works of art. In the Achaemenid era special attention was paid to the uniformity of the motifs, and this pattern of construction was applied to all art centers. The Achaemenid period has a large geographical distribution and the influence of indigenous and subsidiary tribes on the Achaemenid metal works is quite evident. The existence of mythical motifs and concepts illustrates this claim that can never doubt the myth and its widespread use in ancient peoples' lives, because myth has always been the answer to unanswered questions and this made the myth important in the daily lives of the ancient people. The Achaemenids were no exception. Witnesses this claim to the symbolic motifs and concepts that are often seen in Achaemenid artworks. In the Achaemenid art of jewelry, despite the fact that the number and range of Achaemenid jewelry is limited. This themes is clearly visible on remaining jewelry such as bracelets, necklaces and earrings. For example, during the Achaemenid era, bracelets were commonly worn with animal heads at the bottom.
However, the influence of the cultural elements, myths, religion of the earlier tribes and neighboring civilizations on the formation of this context should not be overlooked.