Naqsh-e Rostam

20101229 Naqsh e Rostam Shiraz Iran more Panoramic.jpg
Författare/Upphovsman: User:Ggia, Licens: CC BY-SA 3.0
Panorama of Naqsh-e Rostam, Shiraz, Iran.

Naqsh-e Rostam (6208287449).jpg
Författare/Upphovsman: Arian Zwegers from Brussels, Belgium, Licens: CC BY 2.0
Naqsh-e Rostam, the tombs of Darius I (left) and Artaxerxes I (middle)

Naqsh-e Rostam (5114799080).jpg
Författare/Upphovsman: Fulvio Spada from Torino, Italy, Licens: CC BY-SA 2.0
Naqsh-e Rostam

Naqsh-e Rostam II, register view (3160636781).jpg
Författare/Upphovsman: dynamosquito from France, Licens: CC BY-SA 2.0

Close view of Bahram II’s audience scene at Naqsh-e Rostam, said Naqsh-e Rostam II. A contextual view of the relief can be seen there

Naqsh-e Rostam II is one of the many rock reliefs attributed to the Sasanian king Bahram II. During his reign, the art of carving rock relief raised to a culminating importance like never before. Bahram II’s The singularity lay not only in the high number of reliefs he ordered (not less than 10), but also in the diversity of their locations and thematic. If Bahram re-used some of the places already hosting some of his Sasanian predecessors reliefs such as Bishapour, or Naqsh-e Rostam (also hosting 4 royal achaemenian tombs ( see it on Rob’s stream), an achaemenian temple, and at last 1 elamite rock relief), he also choose 5 new places never carved before such as Sarab-e Bahram, Sar mashhad, Guyum, Barm-e Dilak, and Sarab-e Qandil. None of these places will ever be carved again, and then, will definitely remain attached to his reign. As Bahram didn’t match any substantial military victory, he could not be represented in any victorious or blessed investiture posture but then introduced some new iconographic themes such as the royal audience given to courtiers (Sarab-e Bahram)

or embassadors (Bishapour II on Rob’s stream)

, love scene (Barm-e Dilak I), or fight against fierce lions (Sar Mashhad)

The scene is aimed to produce an impression of majesty and power for the downer spectator. The king stands at the center, holding his sword with his 2 joined hands, wearing his typical winged crown. His Korymbos (hairs fastened into a big spherical bow, all contained into a veil forming this typical Sasanian royal hairdressing) disrupts the upper level of the frame. The scene is contained into a large rectangular frame deeply carved. This is intended to produce a strong volume effect by using the artifice of exaggerating the deepness on a convex rocky cliff. The dimensions of the large thoraces compared to the legs is intended to restore by a kind of optical illusion effect, the impression of normal proportions for a spectator watching the scene from down. The king’s dressing is now perfectly executed, with gracious floating bended wrinkles on the baggy trouser. If the body of the king is shown with a frontal posture, his head is turned on his right, which is an original position. On the left of the register, one can see 5 characters: A noble man, the high priest (“moebed”) Kartir (unbearded), 2 closer characters probably from the royal family as their animal head hats testify, then an unbearded servant or priest. On the right side, 3 noblemen are shown. All the characters pay respect to the king by a typical gesture, curving forward their 2nd finger.

It is not precisely known whether the fact that only the bust of the non royal person is seen was intentional or not. Some think it was aimed to back the importance of the king, while some other stated the relief was not finished. The cautioned polishing of the surface, the precision and regularity of the top of the panel hiding the secondary characters probably is the evidence that it was finished and intentionally left this way.

This relief was carved on the exact place of a former Elamite relief who probably shown a religious tribute in a similar fashion as the relief of Kurangun, near Fahlian. The elamite register is nearly completely erased but some artefacts can still be distinguished, better viewed when the sun comes to the midday: a Crowned head can be seen positioned on the left side of the Sasanian scene, the top of an Elamite hat lay over the top of a Sasanian courtier, a complete Elamite character head, probably a prince is seen at the right side of the Sasanian scene, and a few paralleled lines testify of the former existence of a bended snake formed throne, probably aimed to support a sitting divinity.

Thx to YoungRobV for posting his precious pictures

Taken at Naqsh-e Rostam, Vicinity of Marvdasht, Fars province, Iran, April 2008.

Naqsh-e Rustam necropolis in Iran.jpg
Författare/Upphovsman: Maasaak, Licens: CC BY-SA 4.0
Naqsh-e Rustam necropolis in Iran, a view from South-West. Foreground: stone tower Ka'ba-ye Zartosht; background: left – tomb of king Darius II, right – tomb of Darius I (Darius the Great).

Naqsh-e Rostam I (3115287063).jpg
Författare/Upphovsman: dynamosquito from France, Licens: CC BY-SA 2.0

Naqsh-e Rostam I is the last and most achieved of the 3 investiture rock reliefs attributed to the king Ardashir Ist, founder of the sasanian dynasty ruling the 2nd Persian empire. This relief has a major iconographic interest, for having completed almost all the picture standards, making it a model that will direct the way later sasanian artists will proceed to the carving of the rock reliefs immortalizing both the investiture and the victories of Ardashir’s successors.

The scene shows Ardashir on the left, receiving a ribonned ring of power (called farshiang) from the hand of zoroastrian god Ahuramazda at the right side of the register. The divinity holds in his left hand the barsom (stick symbolizing the divine power), and wears his typical crenelled crown. The king's hairs are fasten into a big spheric bow, all contained into a veil forming the typical sasanian kings hairdressing (called Korymbos). The king pays respect to the god by curving his 2nd finger forward in front of his mouth. A servant stands behind Ardashir, protecting him from the flies, agitating a sticky device. The horse of the king walks over the dead body of Artabanus V, former parthian king, ruler of the Iranian plateau, killed by a revolted Ardashir. Such image is intended to remind everyone that such reign started on a victory against the previous ruler. In a symmetric way, the horse of Ahuramazda, walks over the dead humanized figure of Ahriman, divinity of the bad.

When comparing it to the previous reliefs of Firuzabad II

and Naqsh-e Rajab III , one can easy see that the composition dramatically evolved. The frame preparing the register is complete, and its proportions are very close to those of a golden rectangle (the lengths of its sides are proportional to the numbers composing the mathematic sequence of Fibonacci). The posture of each character (including the horses) and the disposition of their limbs follow diagonal lines which  are parallelic and perfectly symmetric relatively to a median vertical line passing through the Farshiang. All these lines make angles which will also be respected in later reliefs. The proportions of the animals are also ruled by very strict conventions: the line passing through the top of the back of each horse and their eyes is the exact horizontal median line, while the line bordering their abdomen is at half height of this horizontal median line. The technical execution also is accomplished: the relief is polished so sharply that its quality approachs the achaemenian embossed 3D sculptures, the carving being no more plane but all in volume. Such use of volume is completed by the use of perspective, as shows the position of the servant standing behind the royal horse. Abandoning completely the parthian static fashion, the scene is now dynamic, and an impression of movement is clearly given by the horses. The movement is also enhanced by an artifice: Ahuramazda still has its hand closed around the ring, while the king’s hand is still open waiting, suggesting the movement. The clothes are now executed with more attention, with gracious bended wrinkles.

Some scholars think that by carving his relief at the sacred place of Naqsh-e Rostam where were already located 4 royal achaemenian tombs ( see it on Rob’s stream), an achaemenian temple, and at last 1 elamite rock relief, Ardashir intended probably to back the legitimacy of his accession to the power by drawing so the lines of his reign in continuity with his mythical predecessors of the elamite kingdom and 1st Persian empire.

Thx to YoungRobV for posting his precious pictures

Taken at Naqsh-e Rostam, Vicinity of Marvdasht, Fars province, Iran, April 2008.