Mayor of the palace: Did you mean...?

Persepolis was the capital of the Persian Achaemenid Empire from the reign of Darius I (the Great, r. 522-486 BCE) until its destruction in 330 BCE. Its name comes from the Greek Perses-polis (Persian City), but the Persians knew it as Parsa...

Homer's Odyssey is an epic poem written in the 8th century BCE which describes the long voyage home of the Greek hero Odysseus. The mythical king sails back to Ithaca with his men after the Trojan War but is beset by all kinds of delays and...

The island of Kilwa Kisiwani was one of the most important sultanates in the Swahili Coast trade network, linking East Africa to the Arabic world. For over 300 years, gold and ivory passed out of its ports, while Chinese silk and porcelain...

A model of a palace/fortress structure at Axum, capital of the African kingdom of Axum (1st-8th century CE) on the coast of the Red Sea (modern Ethiopia & Eritrea). (Archaeological Museum of Axum, Ethiopia)

The largely restored Queen's Megaron of the Palace of Knossos, Crete. The room was adorned with frescoes which today are preserved as copies in their original position. The most striking is the fresco of the Dolphins which decorated the upper...

These are four of the 150 giant pithoi (storage jars) found in the West Magazines (storage rooms) of the Palace of Knossos. The jars once held oil and wine and dry materials such as grain. The capacity of the storerooms was about 80,000 litres...

The palace of Knossos, was constructed c. 1700 BCE. In addition to its political function, it was perhaps also designed as an economic and religious centre for the Minoan civilization. Knossos was destroyed for the final time c. 1380 BCE...

The Throne Room at the Palace of Knossos in Crete was a chamber built for sacred ceremonials during the 15th century BCE and was part of a larger complex that also included an anteroom and an inner chamber. The throne, made of alabaster and...

Fasilides Palace in the Fasil Ghebbi, Gondar, Ethiopia. Gondar was made the capital of the Kingdom of Abyssinia (aka Ethiopian Empire) in 1636 CE.

A painting of the royal palace at Songdo (Kaesong). Goryeo period (918-1392 CE), Korea.