Archaeology Magazine - March/April 1983 - 70

ARCHAEOLOGY

FILMS

Origins and Evidence, Heroes or
History and Guardians of the Sacred Flame. Series directed by Anthony Meyer, Executive Producers
Anthony Meyer and David Frost. Coproducer Mehrdad Azami. 1977. 16 mm,
color, 60 minutes each film. Purchase
$600 each film, rental $60 from Document Associates, Inc., 211 East 43 St.,
New York,NY 10017
Crossroads of Civilization is a series of
seven films that presents the history of
Iran from the founding of the first
Persian Empire more than 2,000 years
ago to the present. Origins and Evidence,
Heroes or History and Guardians of the
Sacred Flame are the first three in the
series, and cover the period from the
Achaemenians (559-330 b.c.) to the
Sasanians (a.D. 208-651).The films were
shot almost entirely on location in Iran.
They concentrate on both the ancient
sites and their environmental setting,
emphasizing the close connection between environment and culture. The
films will appeal to most people, both
learned and lay, interested in the early
periods of Persian history. The producers
have made full use of the knowledge and
insights of several eminent archaeologists and historians of ancient Persia.
The films have been made with imagination and impressive skill, and are among
the best on the history and archaeology
of the Near East.
Each of the three films is composed in
a similar fashion. Successive historical
events are considered at the ancient sites
at which they occurred. Care is taken to
relate the sites to their surroundings,
introducing the audience to the great
variety of environmental conditions in
Iran. The films are narrated by David
Frost, who visits the sites in the company of experts on the periods under
consideration. The story is told in the
form of a dialogue. Frost asks questions
of each of the scholars, who then gives
an expert opinion. The producers prepared the script in consultation with
these scholars to ensure that the information is accurate and takes account of
recent work. There is a little additional
narration to provide continuity.
The photography is of a very high
standard throughout. Much of the material was filmed during spring and
autumn when the Iranian landscape is
most attractive. Most of the ancient sites
were filmed either early in the morning
or late in the afternoon to bring out
the colors of the masonry. Many of
the historic sites and much of the landscape were filmed from a helicopter.
These aerial sequences are arresting70

ARCHAEOLOGY

Thousands of feet of well-preserved
friezes miraculously survive at Persepolis. Darius I began construction of
the massive palace complex, the greatest of the five royal residences of ancient
Persia , around 520 b.c.
the helicopter was maneuvered slowly
and the camera was carefully steadied so
that nearly all these shots are extraordinarily crisp. There are many memorable
views of Persepolis, Naqshi-Rustam,
Qaleh-yi Dukhtar and other sites, as well
as of snow-capped peaks, deeply cut
river valleys and other striking contrasts
of the Iranian landscape.
The films illustrate the traditional
aspects of Persian life with footage of
the daily activities of present-day townsfolk, peasants and nomads. This gives a
vivid impression of what life in both
town and countryside may have been
like long ago. Difficult concepts such as
the working of ganats, underground
irrigation canals, are explained with the
help of animated diagrams.
Origins and Evidence begins at the
tomb of Cyrus the Great (reigned 559-530
b.c.), founder of the Achaemenian Empire. The main themes of the film series
are then briefly reviewed.There are shots
of the varied topography of Iran, followed
by a presentation on the cyclical nature
of Persian civilization- a sequence of
glittering cultures that rise and decline,
interrupted at intervals by foreign invasions. The arrival on the Iranian
plateau of the Medes and other groups
is briefly chronicled.
The film then concentrates on Cyrus'
formation of the first Persian empire.
The story of his campaign against the
Lydians is told, with much importance
rightly attached to his victory at Sardis
in about 547 b.c. The battle is reconstructed with the help of many Iranian
extras, accurately dressed and armed as
Persian and Lydian troops. This device

is used in all three films, but it works
much better for smaller engagements
than a large set piece. The participants
in the Sardis battle appear uncomfortable in their gear and their movements
on the battlefield seem contrived. The
narration makes it clear that the sequence should be taken simply as an
exposition of Cyrus' tactics, but the
episode has much less impact than the
splendid excerpt from an old Hollywood
silent film included to describe the fall
of Babylon. The segment on Cyrus
concludes at his palace and tomb at
Pasargadae. David Stronach of the University of California, Berkeley, sums up
the achievements of the first Achaemenian king.
The military and political successes
of Darius I (reigned 522-486 b.c.) and
his successors are discussed at Persepolis
by Richard Frye of Harvard University,
providing an opportunity to consider the
functions of this city's buildings. A description of the campaigns of Darius and
Xerxes (reigned 486-465 b.c.) against
the Greeks follows. The opinions Persians and Greeks held of each other are
contrasted, the Persian view eloquently
put by Shapur Shahbazi, sometime director of the site of Persepolis.
Heroes or History is concerned principally with Alexander the Great's conquest of Persia and its aftermath. The
early scenes of the film deal with Alexander's military successes. Various arms
and tactics employed by the Macedonians and Persians are well illustrated by
shots of the so-called sarcophagus of
Alexander at the Archaeological Museum in Istanbul. Alexander's victory
over the Persian army of Darius III
(reigned 336-330 b.c.) at Gaugamela in
331 b.c. is very clearly explained by
successive drawings that give a bird's
eye view of the changing formations of
the opposing forces.
The remainder of Alexander's career,
his subsequent conquests and his early
death at Babylon are discussed at Persepolis by Frye, Shahbazi and Robin
Lane-Fox, the most outstanding of Alexander's recent biographers. The difficult question of whether Alexander
deliberately burned Persepolis focuses
the debate, with Shahbazi giving an
Iranian interpretation of Alexander's
behavior and achievements, Lane-Fox
arguing the Greek case and Frye offering
a balanced summary.
There is a brief mention of the rule of
Alexander's successors, the Seleucids,
and then the remainder of the film is
devoted to the Parthians and their
successful revival of a distinctively
Iranian state. Information derived from
recent archaeological and historical work
is used to illuminate the lives of these
shadowy people. The importance of
overland trade is stressed, in particular
the benefits that accrued to the Parthians
from control of the silk road that was

Archaeology Magazine - March/April 1983

Table of Contents for the Digital Edition of Archaeology Magazine - March/April 1983