Persepolis
Darius I built the greatest palace at Persepolis on the western side of platform. This palace was called the "Apadana". The King of Kings used it for official audiences. The work began in 518 BC, and his son, Xerxes I, completed it 30 years later. The palace had a grand hall in the shape of a square, each side long with seventy-two columns, thirteen of which still stand on the enormous platform. Each column is high with a square Taurus (bull) and plinth. The columns carried the weight of the vast and heavy ceiling. The tops of the columns were made from animal sculptures such as two-headed lions, eagles, human beings and cows (cows were symbols of fertility and abundance in ancient Iran). The columns were joined to each other with the help of oak and cedar beams, which were brought from Lebanon. The walls were covered with a layer of mud and stucco to a depth of 5 cm, which was used for bonding, and then covered with the greenish stucco which is found throughout the palaces.
Sergius I of Constantinople
It is believed that Sergius was already of some importance prior to being chosen as the patriarch of Constantinople. Sergius was a deacon in Haghia Sophia in addition to be a guardian of the harbor. Sergius became the patriarch of Constantinople on April 18, 610. Following the traditions of the Patriarch of Constantinople, it was Sergius who crowned Heraclius Emperor in October of 610 and baptized Heraclius' daughter. Sergius also counseled Heraclius after the death of his wife Eudokia and prior to his marriage to Martina, Heraclius' niece. As such, Sergius developed a close relationship with the Emperor, a connection that would serve him later on.
In 614, the Persian army seized Jerusalem, in process damaging the Church of the Holy Sepulchre and capturing the True Cross, originally discovered by the Empress Helena. A counterattack was initiated against the Persians in 622 by Heraclius. Sergius provided the necessary wealth for the campaign to succeed through the funds of the church. Sergius succeeded at this by reporting funds in the form of Church revenues and vessels. It is even said that the bronze ox from the Forum Tauri was melted down to help provide materials for coinage. 
Sergius can also be credited with saving Constantinople's status as the capital of the Eastern Roman Empire. Constantinople had been suffering throughout the campaign against the Persians as grain was the primary source of food for the city and Egypt, the provider, had been lost. Heraclius believed that moving the capital to Carthage would make it easier to provide the population with food. Attempting to save the Empire enough money to allow Constantinople to remain the capital, Sergius traded the free bread citizens received in the city, a practice from older Roman times, as the government could no longer afford this, an idea that didn't logically work. 
By 622, Sergius' abilities were well recognized by Heraclius. As a result, Heraclius assigned Sergius the care of both his son Theotokos and Constantinople. In 626 during the absence of the Emperor's campaign against Sassanid Persia, the Avars and Sassanid Persians, aided by large number of allied Slavs, laid siege to Constantinople. Along with the magister militum Bonus, he had been named regent and was in charge of the city's defense. He led a litany to the Hodegetria icon just before the final attack of the Avars, and right after completing it a huge storm crushed the invading fleet, saving Constantinople. It is reported that Sergius carried the Icon of the Mother of God around the city walls of Constantinople. The storm was credited as a miracle from the Mother of God, though Sergius was credited with persuading her to the point of involvement. It was rumoured that a previous hymn of the Eastern Orthodox Church was composed in honour of this battle and of Sergius.