Takht-e Jamshid

Achaemenid parasol: Symbol of authority

Tehran, IRNA – The earliest appearance of the parasol in the ancient Near East is on a fragmentary stele of the Akkadian Period (2334-2154 BCE) that had been brought to Susa as booty in the 12th century BCE. On it, Sargon of Akkad leads his army; behind him an attendant holds a parasol upright but not directly above the king’s head; like the modern parasol or umbrella, the profile of the canopy or shade resembles the inverted hemisphere of a modern parasol or umbrella.