Firuzabad: Relief 2

The second relief near Firuzabad

Firuzabad: Sasanian city in Persis.

Relief 2

The second Sasanian rock relief near Firuzabad is better visible than the first one: it is close to the remains of an old bridge, and clearly visible across a little river. It is a kilometer north of the first one, close to the castle, along the road from Ardašir Khureh to Shiraz.

The two reliefs are different in composition, but thematically connected. Whereas the first relief represents king Ardašir's fight against the Parthian king Artabanus V in 224, the second reliefs shows the investiture: how Ardašir received power from the supreme god Ahuramazda. It can probably be dated briefly after 226, when Ardašir had captured the Parthian capital Ctesiphon.

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Investiture scene

From left to right, you can see Ahuramazda, a small altar, king Ardašir, a page with a fly whisk, and three Persian noblemen; the god gives a diadem adorned with rubees, the symbol of royal power, to Ardašir. They may be Ardašir's sons, in which case the first of them will be the crown prince, Shapur

One of the interesting aspects of this relief is that it shows - for the first time - the supreme god as a human being, which was not common in Iranian art. It is probably a western influence.