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The Xerxes the Great Jar is a decorative vessel carved from Egyptian alabaster and inscribed with the words 'Xerxes Great King' in Old Persian, Elamite, Babylonian and Egyptian. The Jar is displayed in the Metropolitan Museum of Art in Gallery 406. It is attributed to the reign of Xerxes I, the Late Period of ancient Egypt and dated between 486–466 B.C. The vessel was crafted in Egypt, by order of King Xerxes, as a gift for Queen Artemisia I of Caria. Egyptian alabaster or Oriental alabaster is a name applied to calcite, a carbonate of calcium, in geological terms "a stalagmitic limestone marked with patterns of swirling bands of cream and brown". Also known as onyx-marble, it is easy to work, with an attractive appearance, and has been used for making a variety of artworks and objects, especially carvings for indoor use, as it is water soluble, and will not survive long outdoors. Fine detail could be obtained in a material with an attractive finish without iron or steel tools. [1] The style of cuneiform used by the Achaemenid Persians is thought to have been developed by Darius I (521-486 BC). Known as Old Persian, the written language of the royal court was almost always accompanied by translations in other languages including other variations of cuneiform and Egyptian hieroglyphics. This practice reflected the many cultures and languages found within the Achaemenid Empire, which stretched from Egypt and the Aegean to the Indus. [2] In 1852 the British Museum sent the archaeologist Charles Thomas Newton to search for more remains of the Mausoleum. During Newton's excavations of the Mausoleum, the alabastar jar was found at the landing close to the monumental staircase that led to the tomb of the chamber. [3]