Per Wikipedia, the term Iran was first attested in a 3rd-century A.D. inscription at Naqsh-e Rostam. The inscription where the term Iran is mentioned for the first time is the one known as the Triumph of Shapur I. It is the most famous of the Sassanid rock reliefs and depicts the victory of Shapur I over two Roman emperors, Valerian and Philip the Arab. Behind the king stands Kirtir, (high priest’), the most powerful of the Zoroastrian Magi during the history of Iran. The inscription says: “I, the Mazda-worshipping lord, Shapur, King of Kings of Iran and An-Iran… I am the Master of the Domain of Iran (Ērānšahr) and possess the territory of Persis, Parthian… Hindustan, the Domain of the Kushan up to the limits of Paškabur and up to Kash, Sughd, and Chachestan.” Thus, Shapur I (c. 241-270 A.D.) became the first monarch to use the title of “King of Kings of Iranians and non-Iranians”.
The colossal statue of Shapur I stands in a huge limestone cave located about 6 km from the ancient city of Bishapur in the south of Iran. George Rawlinson (1812-1902) was the first who described it in the following words:
“The glyptic art of the Sassanians is seen chiefly in their bas-reliefs; but one figure ‘in the round’ has come down to us from their times, which seems to deserve particular description. This is a colossal statue of Sapor I., hewn (it would seem) out of the natural rock, which still exists, though overthrown and mutilated, in a natural grotto near the ruined city of Shapur. The original height of the figure, according to M. Texier, was 6 metres 7 centimetres, or between 19 and 20 feet. It was well proportioned, and carefully wrought, representing the monarch in peaceful attire, but with a long sword at his left side, wearing the mural crown which characterizes him on the bas-reliefs, and dressed in a tunic and trowsers of a light and flexible material, apparently either silk or muslin. The hair, beard, and mustachios, were neatly arranged and well rendered. The attitude of the figure was natural and good. One hand, the right, rested upon the hip; the other touched, but without grasping it, the hilt of the long straight sword…”
The Sasanian Empire fell to the Rashidun Caliphate during the early Muslim conquests in 651 AD.
The Iran Wikipedia page names Iran as ‘a cradle of civilization’, but was it truly the area where that civilization was born?
Read the previous article on the clothing of the Persian elite >
Zoroastrian Circular Cities (where was the first one?) >
“Cradle of Civilizations‘ two-volume book takes a closer look at the origin of the Indo-European civilization.
