Никоноров В. П. Сасанидские боевые рельефы и происхождение темы конной дуэли на пиках в прокламативном искусстве доисламского Ирана [Nikonorov V. P. The Sasanian combat reliefs and the origin of the theme of equestrian duel with lances in the proclamative art of pre-Islamic Iran] (original) (raw)

The most impressive kind of Iranian fine arts in the Sasanian era are, without any doubt, the grand rock reliefs numbering 39 ones (38 in Iran and one in Afghanistan), the overwhelming majority of which are located in the modern province of Fars — ancient Pars (Greek Persis), in the homeland of powerful rulers from the Achaemenid and Sasanian dynasties. A special place among these rock sculptures is occupied by a group of six combat reliefs that depict mounted duels between armoured lancers (Fig. 1, 1–6). Five of these monuments are in Fars: one in Firuzabad (Fir 1) and four in Naqsh-e Rostam (NRm 7/IV, NRm 7/V, NRm 5/VII, NRm 3/IX), as well as one more (obviously unfinished and, moreover, destroyed not earlier than 1818) in Ray, near Tehran. All the reliefs represent in fact the same motive: the culmination of equestrian single combat («scheme of culmination») between two heavy-armed riders, when the left of them sitting astride a horse that runs in the so-called flying gallop, on counter movement («scheme of confrontation») sticks his lance into the foe. These representations inspired by heroic epic notions symbolically reflect some real important historical events like the decisive victory of the first Sasanian monarch, Ardashir I, over the Parthians at the battle of Hormizdagan in 224 AD (Fir 1), etc. In their origins, the Sasanian combat reliefs go back to Parthian rock sculptures such as those at Bisotun (the relief of Gotarzes Geopothros) in Media and at Tang-e Sarvak (Monument «D») in Elymais (Fig. 1, 8, 9). The prominent scholars have looked differently at the possible forerunners of combat scenes on the Parthian and Sasanian reliefs: as such considered have been Assyrian influence through Achaemenid artists (M. I. Rostovtzeff); two equestrian combat reliefs of the first half of the 4th century BC from Lycia — on the Izraza monument at Tlos and on the Nereid monument at Xanthos (fig. 2, 6, 7) (G. Rodenwaldt); early Hellenistic works like, first of all, the famous Alexander mosaic from Pompeii (Fig. 3, 2) (Er. Will). In the present author’s opinion, in order to solve this problem it is not enough to use comparativeiconographic methods of research solely. The matter is that there is no full coincidence between the Iranian rock monuments in question and the relevant pieces of art both above mentioned and the others coming from outside Iran (fig. 4) in the main three compositional criteria: the schemes of confrontation and culmination, and the flying gallop motive. Moreover, stylistically these two groups seriously differ from each other as well. If so, then, of course, one cannot talk about their common iconographic origin, perhaps with the exception of the flying gallop motive that seems to have been passed on to the Parthians from Achaemenid art. It is needful to take into account the fact that all the mounted warriors on the Parthian and Sasanian reliefs are the cataphracts — lancers encased together with their horses in full armour. This mode of fighting had been invented in the milieu of the Central Asian Iranian-speaking nomads (Dahae, Massagetae, Sacae) at the turn of the 4th and 3rd centuries BC and then, around the mid-third century BC, was brought to Iran by the Aparni from the Dahae tribal confederation — the founders of the Parthian empire. It should be stressed that the theme of equestrian duel between cataphracts using lances as the chief weapon is absolutely unique because it is no longer repeated on any other ancient monuments within the vast territory from the Balkans to Central Asia. Because the riders’ martial equipment on our combat reliefs fully corresponds to the realities of warfare in Iran under the Arsacids and the Sasanians, the figurative motive under consideration could hardly have emerged somewhere else than in Iran proper, especially as from the point of view of stylistic and iconographic peculiarities similar monuments are unknown beyond Iran at all.