چكيده لاتين :
A clean-shaven person behind the king is shown in the four Ardashir Babakan's reliefs
in Firuzabad, Naghsh-e Rostam, and Naghsh-e Rajab. The various approaches have
been suggested about this person's identity, mentioned with various names and titles
such as fly-whisk bearer eunuch, the servant or bodyguard of the king. The comparison
of this type of iconography with those of the same preceding examples the Sasanid state
in Iran during the Achaemenid and Assyrian periods shows that the shaving of the face
is one of the common traditions among high-ranking clerics, which is most likely
continued the later periods and especially, the Sasanid. Also, there is the possibility of
belonging mentioned person to person other than the royal family based on the analysis
of some of the available emblems and historical narratives.
The present study is based on historical and archaeological information, which has provided
new information about a clean-shaven person behind the king, shown in the four Ardashir
Babakan's reliefs in Firuzabad, Naghsh-e Rostam, and Naghsh-e Rajab. This paper examines the
beardless person's figure in the Ardashir I's reliefs and similar examples in the archaeological
evidence such as reliefs, seals, and historical narratives. Furthermore, we are trying to determine
the identification and probable position of this person.
The most critical questions in this research are the following:
1- What is the identification of the beardless person in the Ardashir Babakan's reliefs?
2- What is the position of the beardless person in the Ardashir Babakan's reliefs?
Most researchers have used the titles such as whisk-bearer, eunuch, servants, or bodyguards of
the king. Lukonin has described this person as the Karen dynasty representative and attributed
the carved emblem on his kolāh to this dynasty (Lukonin, 2005: 309). Ghirshman identifies him
as a Sasanid nobleman (Ghirshman, 2011: 125), and Hinz describes him as bitaxš of Ardashir
(Hinz2006: 276). By studying Sasanid riders' descent in the relief of warrior's war in Firuzabad,
Kalani considers this person as the representative of the Soren family by a special emblem on
his kolāh (Kalani, 2017a: 90; Kalani, 2017b: 204). Mousavi Haji and Sarfaraz believe that this
person has been a servant and bodyguard of the king (Mousavi Haji and Sarfaraz, 2017: 72).
The presence of beardless persons (or clean-shaven?) has a long history among the civilizations
of the Ancient Near East; for example, we can see the examples of these people in different
periods, such as Assyrian and Achaemenid ones, and in the Sasanid period, on the reliefs and
seals later. Specimens of beardless persons are seen in ancient Near East works such as the Achaemenid
and Assyrian periods (Figure 1, 2, 3, 4). A tradition that seems to have lasted until the Sasanid
period, like Kerdīr (Figure 12). He reached such a very high position in the Sasanids' political
structure that Narseh mentioned his name in the inscription of "Paikuli" among his noblemen
and loyalists. Also, a person without a beard is seen in Ardashir I's reliefs in Fars. We can
quickly identify these people as servants. Indeed, holding a device such as fly-whisk (?) not
only did not create a disturb and disorder in their task, but also they could reach a position that
everywhere are portrayed behind the king, and their Specimens are visible in the reliefs of the
Assyrian, Achaemenid, and Sasanid (including Kerdīr). It seems the person who has been
portrayed without a beard in all of Ardashir I's reliefs in Fars is enjoying such a position (Figure
7, 8, 9, 10, 11).
Regarding all of Ardashir Babakan's reliefs, this beardless person is portrayed with a diadem
and royal ribbons, so he cannot be one of the Sasanid kingdom people. We should search for his
identity among non-royal family members. Among the courtiers of Ardashir are only Tansar
and Abarsam, that different narratives exist about these two persons, especially in the Islamic
sources are mentioned about their high position among the clerics. Tansar has not been
mentioned in any sources contemporary with the Sasanid. Abarsam is mentioned in the
inscriptions of the Shāpūr I's Ka'ba-i Zardusht among the Ardashir's courtiers, not as the clergy
or Ardashir's vizier, but as one of the courtiers in the fifteenth row of this inscription.
Regarding this person in the relief of Ardashir's war with Ardawan IV and Ardashir's investiture
from Ahura Mazda, he has been both the high political and the first rank of the clergy society.
According to Ibn Balkhi's version about Ardashir's vizier called Nansar, some scholars consider
Tansar and Abarsam one person. He is named as "Mobad-e Mobad@n" in epic texts, such as
Karname-ye Ardahsir, and mentioned in the Shahnameh Ferdowsi with various titles, such as
"Dastūr", vizier, "Mobad" and "Kadkhodā or Kadiwar (alderman)". The likeness of this person
with the great Sasanian cleric is that like Kerdīr carrying the sword in the reliefs of Sarāb-e
Bahrām and Sarmashhad, this person also, in addition to fighting on the battlefield of Tangab-e
Firuzabad with the Parthian rival, in other Ardashir's reliefs carries a sword indicating this
person has had a strong political influence, in addition to the high ranking clergy, as well as
Kerdīr. This is a crucial point in rejecting the approaches of those who regard this person as a
simple servant or a eunuch holding a fly-whisk behind the king's head. Is it reasonable a servant
who is only his duty to hold a fly-whisk (?) behind the king's head carrying the weapon with his
own?
On the other hand, the carved emblem on his kolāh shows his descent and ancestry. Emblems
related to the family of essential persons were carved on their kolāh, not a servant whose duty
was only holding fly-whisk (?). Regarding the courtiers of Ardashir, Abarsam is the only person
who has received the honorific title, "Ardashir's Farr" or Ardashir glory has been named in
many sources as the senior clergy and grand vizier, so it seems has had a very high position. If
we accept the view of the scholars that Parthian's adversary of the beardless person in the third
scene of the relief of the warrior's war is the king of Ahwaz, or according to Henning, Ardawan
V Elymais, probably can be more trusted in Tabari's version about the encounter king of Ahvaz
with Abarsam who has attacked to the Ardashir Khorra in the absence of Ardashir, and should
be considered the third scene of Firuzabad I's relief related to this battle and battle scene
between the king of Ahwaz and Abarsam (Figure 7, 8). Probably a person portrayed without a
beard in all of Ardashir's reliefs is Abarsam, who had both a very high political position because
of his numerous services to Ardashir, and senior clergy of the Sasanid period appeared with this
portrait and figure in the reliefs according to the tradition of shaving face among the clerics.
