wall decorators, painters

Evidence

"Egyptian artists were employed in different artistic specializations in the Persian heartland, as goldsmiths, woodworkers, wall decorators, stonecutters, painters, plasterers, and wood/stone-sculptors."

Remarks

The paper examines the participation of Egyptian artists in the Persian heartland during the Achaemenid period (c. 6th-4th centuries BCE). Textual documents, particularly the Persepolis Fortification and Treasury Archives, indicate that Egyptian craftsmen were disproportionately active in royal centers such as Susa, Persepolis, and the Borazjan area (p. 73). Their roles included 'wall decorators' and 'painters', implying the use of pigments, alongside other specialized crafts like goldsmithing and masonry (p. 73). Evidence surveyed includes the statue of Darius from Susa, mason marks, and visual material from the tomb of Petosiris (p. 73). The paper stresses that while their mobility and reputation are attested by high wages recorded in tablets, identifying ethnicity through archaeological material alone remains difficult (p. 73).