The ancient world—including the ancient Persian Empire—was a very colorful place. Architecture, statuary, mosaics, textiles, and other objects created environments filled with color. In southwestern Iran, large compositions of glazed bricks decorated the walls of the Persian king Darius I’s palace at Susa. Long rows of soldiers were depicted carrying lances and quivers with arrows to protect the king in his palace, just like this one. The bricks were cast in molds and then assembled together to create complete images. These were covered in glazes containing chemical compounds that produced vibrant colors when fired—similar to glass. This type of glazed brick was popular in the Mesopotamian regions of Babylonia and Assyria, which were conquered by the Achaemenid Persian Empire. In an inscription, Darius describes bringing Babylonian artists to Susa to create these works. Enjoy this artwork and many others in “Persia: Ancient Iran and the Classical World,” on view through August 8 at...