The Genealogy of the Kingship Concept in the Rock Reliefs of Ardašir ī Bābakān

After rising to power, Ardašir I made a coherent plan to legitimize his kingdom. Similar to kings of ancient times who created a new dynasty, Ardašir I faced a critical problem, which was how to legitimize his exclusive power as the newly established king. Creating various rock reliefs in different regions was one of the most significant things Ardašir I did in order to legitimize his monarchy. These rock reliefs can be classified into two major genres: first, encountering AhurāMazdā and receiving a symbolic ring, and second, victory in the battle against the enemy. These two themes also became the most significant themes in rock reliefs during the ruling of other Sassanian kings. The ring of kingship is one of the most prominent visual elements in these rock reliefs, whose roots could trace back to Ancient Mesopotamia. As can be observed in the visual traditions of Ancient Mesopotamia, receiving a ring of kingship was a symbol of divine validation of the kingship of the person who received it. Contrary to the Achaemenids, in the pictorial traditions of this ancient culture, the ring was always at the right hand of god. During the Achaemenids, however, the “ring” was in the left hand of god. Once again, in the Sassanids era, the ring was in the right hand of god, perhaps due to religious and cultural reasons. Gods illustrated in the Mesopotamian tradition often did not show a gesture of respect. In other words, they would not raise their hands as a sign of respect like the king did due to their supposedly higher status than the king. This is noteworthy, as raising the right hand in Achaemenid illustrations meant god had to hold the ring in his left hand, as opposed to Mesopotamian motifs, where it was in his right hand. This could indicate the higher status of the king in Achaemenid rock reliefs than the Ancient Mesopotamian kings. In Achaemenid rock reliefs, the ring-holding god does not have a rod in his other hand. Further, the left hand of the king, unlike Mesopotamian kings, is neither extended to the god nor on his side. The Achaemenid king holds a bow in his left hand, which could indicate his superiority to previous Mesopotamian kings. By emphasizing the status of the king, the Achaemenids were able to not only demonstrate the divine providence but also the superiority of the king to past Mesopotamian kings. By studying the relationship between the king and god and by taking over Mesopotamian motifs, they were able to illustrate a new relationship that not only guaranteed the ascension of the king but also allowed the ever presence of the superior god at the top of all the rock reliefs. According to the aforementioned, it can be concluded that receiving the ring of kingship from the supreme god and the deification of the king which were seen separately in the pictorial traditions of Ancient Mesopotamia were consciously synthesized in the rock reliefs of Ardašir I and employed to legitimize his kingship.