This statue of Darius I the Great was carved in Egypt but later erected near the east gate of the great Achaemenid king's palace in Susa. It is not entirely clear why it was moved from the ancient country along the Nile to the capital of Elam.

It was excavated in 1972; today, the monument is in the National archeological museum of Tehran.

The statue, which once was covered with paint, is very interesting, because it is the only free-standing sculpture from ancient Persia. (There is one reference to a similar statue of Xerxes in Persepolis.)

For more pictures about Susa please visit: Susa (Shush)