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An Interpretation of Royal Boar Hunting in Tāq-I Bostān Relief with Symbolic Approach
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Neda Akhavan Aghdam *   , Fariba Sharifiyan |
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Abstract: (264 Views) |
Bas-reliefs are not only historical and cultural document but they could be considered as an image and as long as they are considered so, all issues which are related to image could be applied to them. Bas-reliefs could be interpreted as an image and if we look for the deeper meaning, we have to consider the motifs and cultural codes and interpret them.
This article attempts to interpret the bas-relief in Tāq-i Bostān with royal boar hunting image with symbolic approach. There are signs in this image that lead us to seek the deeper meaning beyond what we see. The first step in interpretation is to describe what is seen. The scene is a hunting ceremony with details which shows king and his companions in the hunt feast. In this step we describe what it could be seen in this picture. The second one could be achieved by referring to literary and historical documents and texts. According to the texts which are related to that time, we could receive more information and interpret this bas-relief deeper. Interpreting this image with referring to texts results to recognize the king who displays as Xusraw II and his court as it explains in literary and historical texts. And the third one depends to interpret the symbols in this image according to cultural codes. Some signs in this image shows us that this scene has a deeper meaning so we could interpret the image by symbolical approach, e.g. we seek that what is the meaning of hunting or boar in symbolical meaning. It seems that this image displays how a king acquires Xwarrah. By symbolic interpretation we could see that a king who passes this mythological path for receiving the halo. By providing unparalleled glory and majesty, as well as suppressing and eliminating internal and external enemies, the king can attain a divine status. But the question is inevitable to what extent the findings of symbolic interpretation could be relied on and correspond to Sasanian era. It seems that with third step we could find the symbolic meaning of this image which is familiar to us. We know that what is thought about kings in Sasanian era and how was their image in their beliefs according to texts and inscriptions. The third step of interpretation give us the same point.
Sasanian as an ideological reign doesn’t embody their beliefs in their artworks and it sounds peculiar but it seems that with this approach we could achieve the deeper meaning of this image which corresponds to Sasanian ideas and beliefs. The Image shows Sasanian ideology as we know about them from inscriptions or texts. They believed that kings have the divine origin and they must have Xwarrah. In Taq-I Bostan relief we could see the process to receive the divinity gift.
This research is done with descriptive- analytical method and viewing the bas-relief based on documentary and historical data. The data is interpreted by symbolic approach for achieving the goal.
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| Keywords: Sasanian art, bas-relief, Tāq-i Bostān, symbolic approach |
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Full-Text [PDF 2429 kb]
(220 Downloads)
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Type of Study: Research |
Subject:
Special
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