Frieze of Striding Lions

Iran: Persepolis; Achaemenid Period; Reign of Darius I/Xerxes, ca. 522-465 B.C. Limestone. Excavated by the Oriental Institute, 1932-4. "An Achaemenid artisan carved this piece of stone to represent part of a cloth canopy that was decorated with woven or appliquÃ©d figures of rosettes and striding lions. A pair of diamonds joined as a figure-eight can be seen in three places on the face of this stone. They are the marks of the sculptor or team of sculptors who carved this and numerous other Persepolis reliefs on which the same marks appear."