Reading the Motifs of Achaemenid Architectural Works Based on Jung’s Archetypal Theory
Keywords:
Achaemenid Architecture, Collective Unconscious, Archetype, Carl Gustav JungAbstract
Architecture constitutes a prominent part of the history of Iranian art, which has always attracted considerable attention, leaving behind remarkable masterpieces. The architecture of the Achaemenid period represents one of the most brilliant eras in the architectural history of Iran. This architecture is adorned with valuable motifs whose contemplation allows for a deeper understanding of the spirit of art and architecture of that age. It appears that the figures and motifs in the architecture of this period, in addition to their external manifestations, embody deeper meanings and concepts intimately connected with the human psyche. The present study aims to decode these motifs through a psychoanalytic approach, analyzing the architectural representations of the Achaemenid period based on the views of the Swiss psychologist Carl Gustav Jung. According to Jung, the human psyche consists of three levels, the deepest of which is the collective unconscious. Jung referred to the contents of the collective unconscious as archetypes, which are reflected symbolically in literary and artistic works. He conducted extensive studies on symbols and maintained that everything in the world can acquire a symbolic meaning. This research seeks to align Jung’s theory concerning the manifestation of archetypes in the form of symbols with the motifs of Achaemenid architecture and attempts to answer the question of how the influence of the collective unconscious can be interpreted in these architectural motifs and in what ways the archetypes are reflected in them. The research method is analytical-comparative, and the data are qualitative in nature, derived from documentary and library sources. The findings indicate that the motifs of Achaemenid architecture, beyond their decorative aspect, contain symbolic meanings rooted in archetypes and the memories of the collective unconscious. These symbols are reflected in architectural design through abstract and composite representations of animals, plants, numbers, and sacred shapes.
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