The Returned Bas-Relief from London A Soldier, A God, A Cleric, An Emperor or A Sassanid Prince?

Abstract
In June 2023, the images of the returned bas-relief from London were published on social media and cyberspace. Publishing the images of the bas-relief, different opinions were presented by domestic and foreign experts and researchers regarding the identity of the individual present in it in less than three weeks. The comments were expressed not through scientific publications but rather in interviews with news organizations and on social media platforms like X (formerly Twitter), Instagram, and Telegram. Some individuals have regarded him as a Zoroastrian deity, while others have referred to him as a soldier, a nobleman, or a Sassanid general. This study, which is fundamental in its purpose and historical in its nature, seeks to uncover the true identity of the figure depicted in this bas-relief by presenting compelling arguments and credible evidence. The results of historical studies, morphological evidence, and especially the matching and comparison of the artistic details in the bas-relief with other motifs established in the Sassanid period confirm that the image displayed in the text of the bas-relief returned from London belongs to a Sassanid prince who was a high-ranking official during the reign of Bahram II. Also, the enclosing of the figure of the Sassanid prince in a vaulted frame clearly proves that the bas-relief is nothing more than a monograph and absolutely cannot be a part of a larger composition and relief that has the presence of other people imagined in its text. The fingers of the prince’s right hand is placed in front of his face and his index finger is raised as a sign of respect for his superiors, increasing the possibility of a relief of a Zoroastrian god or a Sassanid emperor or a symbolic relief of Behi religion (Mazdayasna) like a fire pot with a burning fire in a separate and independent frame and against the relief of the Sassanid prince.
Keywords: Returned Bas-Relief, Prince, Ribbon, Necklace, Bahram II. 
 
Introduction
In the wake of the Sassanid bas-relief’s display at the British Museum and the sharing of its images across social media platforms, a variety of experts from both within the country and abroad have weighed in on the authenticity and genuine identity of this historical piece. St. John Simpson, the lead archaeologist at the British Museum, was the first to bring attention to this Sassanid bas-relief. While validating the authenticity of the bas-relief, he asserts that this important piece, which illustrates a member of the upper echelon of Sassanid society, was forcefully removed from a rock or mountain in Fars Province around Shiraz and is likely a segment of a more comprehensive relief. He further explains that the Sassanid man’s raised index finger, held in front of his face as a sign of deference, signifies his audience with the king or royal family, implying that this relief could be part of a larger scene depicting the king to the right with others in the background
Following Simpson’s remarks, several domestic researchers and archaeologists provided insights regarding the authenticity and identity of the bas-reliefs returned from London, engaging in interviews with various news agencies. Some individuals expressed skepticism about the authenticity of the bas-relief, while others asserted its genuineness with certainty. A range of opinions, often peculiar, emerged concerning the true identity of the figure depicted in the relief. Among the proposed identities were a priest, an emperor, a Zoroastrian deity, a nobleman, a prince, and a Sassanid soldier, all suggested by different commentators within weeks of the return of the bas-relief.
This study aims to elucidate the authentic identity of the bas-relief repatriated from London by employing historical analyses, morphological data, and particularly by comparing the artistic features of this bas-relief with other rock reliefs from the Sassanid era.
 
The identity of the character present in the bas-relief
According to the author’s belief and based on the reasons that will follow, there is no doubt that he is a Sassanid prince who held a high position during his lifetime. As can be seen in the image of the mentioned character, he has a ribbon on his forehead, the trail of which is waved in the form of two wide and wavy strips on the back of his head (Figures 1 and 2). The ribbon is the mediator of the divine charisma that is included in the clothes of the royal family. Accordingly, the ribbon is the most important characteristic of the clothes of the gods and the royal family in the Sassanid period in a way that apart from the gods, the emperor, the queen and their children (princes), no one else had the right to use it. Since the mentioned character is not a Sassanid god, emperor or queen, so he must be a Sassanid prince.
To demonstrate that the ribbon serves as the paramount feature of divine and royal attire, it suffices to meticulously examine each Sassanid relief, revealing that this principle was consistently upheld across all such artworks, with only the gods, the emperor, the queen, and their offspring permitted to wear it. In summary, Sassanid reliefs exclusively depict ribbons in the attire of deities, emperors, queens, and princes. For instance, the investiture relief of Ardeshir Babakan at Naqsh-e Rajab, Fars showcases Ahura Mazda, Ardeshir Babakan, Shapur I (the eldest son and crown prince), and Dinak (the queen of Iran and wife of Ardeshir Babakan) adorned with ribbons, while Tansar and Dinak’s special maidservant lack ribbons, as they do not belong to the royal lineage or divine entities. In the relief depicting Bahram II and the courtiers at Naqsh-e Rostam in Fars, the emperor, his consort Shapurdukhtak, crown prince Bahram III, and two unidentified princes are adorned with ribbons, while Kartir and other figures present lack such adornments, indicating their non-royal status.
Having established that the bas-relief in question is attributed to a Sassanid prince, it prompts an inquiry into the period and the specific Sassanid monarch under whose reign this bas-relief was created. Given the subsequent evidence, it is highly probable that this remarkable piece was sculpted during the reign of Bahram II (276-293 AD). The evidence is as follows:
1. The character in the relief has a horizontally braided beard and braided hair, the vertical strands of which cover the back of his neck and part of his shoulders. This particular style of ornamentation, characterized by braided hair arranged in vertical strands alongside a horizontal beard, was exclusively prevalent during the reign of Bahram II (Figure 7). This serves as definitive evidence that the bas-relief of the Sassanid prince was created in the era of Bahram II.
2. The state of displaying the prince’s stature in such a way that the body is full-face and the head is profile, and the index finger of the right hand is placed in front of the face and the finger of the left hand is placed on the handle of the sword is exactly comparable with the reliefs of Bahram II in Barm-e Delak and Gūyum of Fars.
3. The quality of showing the folds of the clothes of the Sassanid prince, especially the folds of the trousers and the supports on which the sword hangs, is comparable to the reliefs of Bahram II in Barm-e Delak and Gūyum of Fars.
4. The arrangement of the braided hair in vertical strands, the horizontally woven beard, the cylindrical hat adorned with a border of embroidered pearls, and the ribbon trailing behind the head of the prince returning from London can be accurately compared to the visage of a prince depicted on the far-left side of Bahram II in the relief at Naqsh-e Rostam in Fars. Similar to the Sassanid prince depicted in the bas-relief returned from London, his right index finger is raised as a gesture of respect towards the superior positioned before him. Morphologically, the only distinction between the two princes lies in the emblem inscribed on the crown of the prince illustrated in the relief of Bahram II at Naqsh-e Rostam, which is absent in the representation of the Sassanid prince in question. The remarkable resemblance between the two aforementioned princes enhances the likelihood that they were both portrayed during the reign of a Sassanid monarch and crafted by a collective of stonemasonry artisans.
 
Conclusion
From the above-mentioned points, the following results are obtained:
- The bas-relief returned from London was carved during the reign of Bahram II, and the character in it is definitely a Sassanid prince. He absolutely cannot be a priest or a Zoroastrian god, an emperor, a general or a Sassanid soldier.
- This Sassanid prince is identified as the son of one of the Bahrams, who, during his lifetime, governed one of the Iranian states or occupied a significant administrative role. It is more plausible that he is one of the male offspring of Bahram II rather than Bahram III.