Ancient Relief Of Shapur I’s Victory Over The Roman Emperor, Valerian at Naqsh-e Rostam Sasanian Empire Period MO680 Medium

This carving depicts a famous scene in which the Roman Emperor, Valerian, is kneeling before Shapur I and asking for mercy. Shapur defeated Valerian at the Battle of Edessa, in which the entire Roman army was destroyed and Valerian became Shapour’s prisoner. This was the first and only time a Roman emperor was taken prisoner. The Emperor Philip the Arab is depicting standing and Gordian III is dead at the feet of Shapur’s horse. There is a Greek inscription of five lines underneath the horse, but it is damaged. It is believed that there were also two inscriptions, now destroyed, in Middle Persian and the Parthian language.

During the reign of Sassanid King Shapur I, three Roman emperors invaded Iran. Valerian was the third emperor to be captured by the Iranians with 70,000 soldiers. Shapoor carved this great victory in several places to be a lesson for the future. In this embossed pattern, Shapur is riding a big horse with a royal crown and a decorated robe. Valerian is depicted with a Roman crown and a robe on his shoulder, as if he had rushed to the king’s horse of Iran and knelt down. Valerian stretched out both hands as a sign of forgiveness. The greatness of the king of Iran and his greatness can be clearly seen in the crown, bracelets and hair style, as well as the saddle and bridle of his horse. Next to Valerian, there is another emperor whose king, the king of Iran, holds his wrist as a sign of captivity. Inspired by the tombstone of Shapur I’s victory over the Roman emperor Valerian, the inscription is about 40 centimeters high. It weighs about two and a half kilograms and is made of fiberglass. This prominent role was created in the workshop “Statue and Sculpture of Shahriar”.