The Symbolism of Hand Positions in Ancient Achaemenid Art

Document Type : Original Article

Author

Lecturer at Faculty of Arts- Damanhour University

Abstract

The ancient Achaemenid art is one of the most important human legacies in Western Asia. The Ancient Achaemenid artists relied on many gestures and physical expressions in order to include their ideas and what they wished to communicate to the recipient in the scenes, either directly or indirectly. The hand gestures played an important role in extracting the content of the scenes and showing the artist's ability to adapt his tools to serve his artistic purpose. The present research aims to clarify the religious, social and political symbolism of the hand gestures and their role in the communication between author and audience. Additionally, it looks at implicit meanings and the intention behind the Achaemenid reliefs.

Keywords

Main Subjects


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