# Plants as Symbols of Power in the Achaemenid Iconography of Ancient Persian Monuments
## 3 Results
### Religious and Cultural Significance of the Depicted Plants in Relation to Nearby Civilizations  
Plants and gardens were of particular importance in Achaemenid culture, and royal gardens were 'an empire in miniature' filled with plants, birds, and other animals from every area of the king's dominion as an emblem of royal power [78; 79]. It has been observed that 'the idea of the king creating a fertile garden--displaying both symmetry and order--constituted a powerful statement symbolizing monarchic authority, fertility, legitimacy, and divine favor' [48]. Achaemenid plant motifs, notably the capitulate rosette and lotus blooming, were inspired by Ancient Egypt and Mesopotamia (Figure 8). For instance, the capitulate rosette that adorned Babylonian reliefs during [PERSON]'s reign (605-562 BCE) also featured in [PERSON]'s reliefs at Darius I Palace (Figure 8b,c). However, the predominant Zoroastrian religion profoundly influenced Achaemenid art and its connection of human beliefs and nature [80; 81]. Zoroastrianism makes reference to the flowers dedicated to various divinities and used in a variety of rituals, for example, in the Bundahishn, or 'The Book of Creation', every flower belongs to one of the Amahraspand, 'beneficent immortals', who form part of the retinue of [PERSON] [57]. Table 2 show a synthesis of the symbolic and cultural significance of the plants depicted, such as the different ways in which they were interpreted by each of the civilizations connected with the Achaemenids. Figure 8: Influences of neighboring civilizations and origin of the Achaemenid patterns (on the left: Egyptian representation; in the middle Mesopotamia; on the right Ancient Persia). Capitulate rosettes (in the red square): (**a**) ceiling decoration, Palace [PERSON], Upper Egypt, 1390–135 BCE (The Metropolitan Museum of Art collection); (**b**) glazed brick relief from reign of [PERSON] (605–562 BCE), Babylon, 6 th century BCE (Berlin State Museums, Vorderasian Museum); and (**c**) brick facade of Susa, Palace [PERSON], 489 BCE (Musee du Louvre). Lotus rosettes: in the green square of (**a**); (**d**) ornament from the [PERSON], Egypt, 129–1213 BCE (The Metropolitan Museum of Art collection); (**e**) the bracelet of the [PERSON] reliefs, 865–860 BCE, Northwest Palace in Nimrud (The Metropolitan Museum of Art collection); and (**f**) the bracelet of the winged disk at the Xerces Royal Tomb in Naghsh-e Rostam (Archive of the Pasargadae Research Center). Further, lotus structures: (**g**) Egyptian stele, 1294–1279 BCE (Musee du Louvre); (**h**) threshold pavement slab with a carpet design, Neo-Assyrian, 700 BCE, Mesopotamia, probably from Nimeveh (The Metropolitan Museum of Art collection); and (**i**) the frieze of nobles holding flowers in the Apadana stairways, Perseopolis. \begin{table}
\begin{tabular}{c c c c c} \hline
**Common Name** & **Ancient Cultural Area** & **Scientific Name** & **Represented Part** & **Symbolic Value** \\ \hline \multirow{6}{*}{Category} & \multirow{3}{*}{Mesopotamia} & _Hiencium panosum_[65] & \multirow{3}{*}{Flower} & Connected to the Goddess \\  & & and _Bellis preninis_[82] & & & \\  & & & & \\ \cline{3-5}  & & & & & \\ \cline{2-5}  & & & & & \\ \cline{2-5}  & & & & & \\ \cline{2-5}  & & & & & \\ \cline{2-5}  & & & & & \\ \cline{2-5}  & & & & & \\ \hline \end{tabular}
\begin{tabular}{c c c}  & & & \\ \cline{2-5}  & & & & \\ \cline{2-5}  & & & & \\ \cline{2-5}  & & & & \\ \cline{2-5}  & & & & \\ \hline \end{tabular}
\end{table} 
Table 2: Symbolic attributes of the main plants represented in Achaemenid monumental iconography and their associations with neighboring cultural areas. \begin{table}
\begin{tabular}{c c c c c} \hline
**Common Name** & **Ancient Cultural Area** & **Scientific Name** & **Represented Part** & **Symbolic Value** \\ \hline \multirow{8}{*}{**Categories**} & \multirow{4}{*}{Mesopotamia} & _Nymphan speciosum_[65] & \multirow{2}{*}{Flower} & Symbolized rebirth and \\  & & and _N.