The parasol, which has always been in the East a mark of dignity, seems in Persia, as in Assyria, to have been confined, either by law or usage, to the king.  The Persian implement resembled the later Assyrian, except that it was not tasselled, and had no curtain or flap.  It had the same tent-like shape, the same long thick stem, and the same ornament at the top.  It only differed in being somewhat shallower, and in having the supports, which kept it open, curved instead of straight.  It was held over the king’s head on state occasions by an attendant who walked immediately behind him. [PLATE XXXII., Fig. 3.]

The throne of the monarch was an elevated seat, with a high back, but without arms, cushioned, and ornamented with a fringe, and with moldings or carvings along the back and legs.  The ornamentation consisted chiefly of balls and broad rings, and contained little that was artistic or elaborate.  The legs, however, terminated in lions’ feet, resting upon half balls, which were ribbed or fluted.  The sides of the chair below the seat appear to have been panelled, like the thrones of the Assyrians, but were not adorned with any carving.  The seat of the throne was very high from the ground, and without a rest the legs would have dangled.  A footstool consequently was provided, which was plain, like the throne, but was supported on legs terminating in the feet of bulls.  Thus the lion and the bull, so frequent in the symbolism of the East, were here again brought together, being represented as the supports of the throne.

With respect to the material whereof the throne was composed, there can be no doubt that it was something splendid and costly.  Late writers describe it as made of pure gold; but, as we hear of its having silver feet, we may presume that parts at least were of the less precious metal.  Ivory is not said to have been used in its composition.  We may, perhaps, conjecture, that the frame of the throne was wood, and that this was overlaid with plates of gold or silver, whereby the whole of the woodwork was concealed from view, and an appearance of solid metal presented.

The person of the king was adorned with golden ornaments.  He had earrings of gold in his ears, often inlaid with jewels he wore golden bracelets upon his wrists; and he had a chain or collar of gold about his neck. [PLATE XXXIII., Fig. 1.] In his girdle, which was also of gold, he carried a short sword, the sheath of which was formed of a single precious stone.  The monuments, unfortunately, throw little light on the character and workmanship of these portions of the royal costume.  We may gather from them, perhaps, that the bracelets had a large jewel set in their centre, and that the collars were of twisted work, worn loosely around the neck.  The sword seems to have differed little from that of the ordinary Persians.  It had a short straight blade, a mere crossbar for a guard, and a handle almost devoid of ornament.  This plainness was compensated, if we may trust Curtius, by the magnificence of the sheath, which was, perhaps, of jasper, agate, or lapis lazuli. [PLATE XXXIII., Fig. 2.]