Life in the Persian Empire Two men dressed in clothing of the Medes, one of the groups conquered by the Persians, drive a four-horse chariot in this small model made entirely of gold. In the nineteenth century a huge collection of silver and gold objects from the fifth and fourth centuries B.C.E. was found on the banks of the Oxus River in what is now Tajikistan. Most likely, the spot had been a ferry crossing and the objects had been buried long ago.

(British Museum, London, UK/De Agostini Picture Library/Bridgeman Images)