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Entombed in Gold
In 530 BCE, when Cyrus marched into Central Asia to protect the empire's northeastern borders from the invading Massagetae tribe, he was killed in battle. According to Greek sources, Cyrus's body was returned to Anshan, mummified, and placed in a gold coffin on a table of pure gold inside his mausoleum. Today, the tomb's simple, imposing structure towers more than 32 feet tall, making it the largest and most striking surviving feature of the Pasargadae complex. It is also the only structure from Pasargadae that is described in both classical and later Western travel accounts.
Situated outside the palace precinct and in the southern part of the Murghab plain, the mausoleum comprises two distinct parts: a high plinth made up of six receding tiers and a tomb chamber with a steep gable roof. The tomb's construction combines different styles and building techniques, and demonstrates how their recent conquest of the Lydian kingdom had brought the Achaemednids into contact with Greek architecture. The overall form, however, has no prototype in the ancient world; rather, it represents a unique and skillful combination of architectural elements to suggest both power and sanctity. |