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This impressive glazed brick relief comes from the ancient city of Susa, situated in present-day Iran, and was created during the reign of Darius I in the 6th century BCE. It portrays the celebrated "Immortals," the elite royal guard of the Achaemenid Persian Empire, distinguished for their unwavering discipline and symbolic role in projecting imperial power and divine order. The figures are lavishly adorned, each carrying spears and bows, clad in intricately patterned robes of yellow, white, and blue, set against a vibrant turquoise background. The use of glazed bricks not only lent the wall brilliant color but also rendered it durable, enabling it to endure for centuries. Such reliefs once embellished the grand palaces of Persepolis and Susa, exemplifying both artistic expertise and propaganda—reminding all who entered of the empire's formidable might and majesty.