---
node: garment_achaemenid_robe
type: garment
slug: achaemenid_robe
title: "Achaemenid Persian dress"
lead: "Achaemenid Persia knew two kinds of dress: the flowing, deeply pleated court robe of the Persians and the practical riding costume of trousers and a sleeved coat borrowed from the Medes. The Persepolis reliefs show both worn side by side."
published: 2026-08-10
updated: 2026-08-10
image_file: achaemenid_robe.jpg
image_source: "https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Portray_of_a_persian_guard_(4571320017).jpg"
image_author: "dynamosquito from France"
image_license: "CC BY-SA 2.0"
---

## Overview

The Persian court robe is a long, wide gown with full sleeves, gathered at the waist and falling in regular tubular folds to the feet, worn by kings and nobles at court. The Median riding dress is quite different: a knee-length sleeved tunic and coat over close trousers, made for the saddle.

## How it is worn

The court robe is belted and arranged so the sleeves and skirt hang in even, sculptured pleats, worn with a fluted cap and shoes; the riding costume is pulled on with the coat sometimes hung cape-like from the shoulders, over trousers and soft boots. Persians and Medes are shown in each on the Apadana stairs.

## History

Achaemenid dress spread the trouser-and-coat riding costume across the empire from the sixth century BC, and Persia is often credited with making sewn, fitted riding clothes prestigious in the ancient world. The draped court robe, by contrast, projected the calm dignity of the Great King.