Achaemenid music

Music is attested as having been an integral and prominent societal aspect of the Achaemenid Empire, which existed between 550 BCE and 330 BCE. However, recorded knowledge on the subject is scarce

Background#

The Achaemenid Empire arose from the conquests of Cyrus the Great, whose familial dynasty was named for their mythical progenitor Achaemenes. At its height, it was the largest empire by that point in history, spanning from the Balkans to Egypt and the Indus Valley. A further source of unification arose from the widespread adoption of Zoroastrianism as set forth by the prophet Zoroaster a few centuries earlier. The empire fell to the conquests of Alexander the Great, whose successors formed the Seleucid Empire. The earliest music in Persia is difficult to pinpoint, due to a paucity of extant records. Persian music has existed since at least BCE of the Elamite period, from when the earliest artistic depictions of arched harps are dated; it is possible that these instruments existed long before their visual depictions. Later surviving instruments include bull lyres from , small Oxus trumpets from , and much later, lutes from BCE, which seem to have been popular with the upper class. Rock reliefs of Kul-e Farah from 1st century BCE include sophisticated Persian court ensembles, in which the arched harp is central.

Modern#

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Genre family: Ancient music
Region: Iran