038 Plate showing a Sasanian King hunting

The Sasanians ruled Iran for over 400 years, viewing themselves as the successors to the Persian Empire. Their empire flourished during the reign of a particularly energetic king, Shapur I, who ruled from 240 to 272 BCE. During this time the Sasanian government became more powerful and Zoroastrianism was made the state religion.

This intricately-worked plate shows a Sasanian king on the back of a stag. He is depicted plunging a dagger into the side of the animal, which he is riding. This is a very unusual hunting scene, quite different from older Middle Eastern hunts showing rulers fighting fierce animals from a distance. Although this king wears a crown he has no saddle or stirrups, and he has to hold onto the animals’ antlers as he strikes the fatal blow. This evocative image shows an individual in single combat with a powerful beast, and it represents more than the Sasanian love of hunting. The scene symbolises the king’s control over chaos. Stags were capable of destroying crops and so they represented disorder. By killing the stag the king acts as a force for good, both for his people and for god. The stag is shown again at the bottom of the plate, vanquished and dying. The king, acting as an agent of god, has succeeded in restoring divine order.

Sasanian military success brought them into conflict with Rome and later Byzantium, the Christian Empire of the east. The empire eventually collapsed under the force of Arab armies between 636 and 651 CE and Zoroastrianism was replaced with Islam as the official faith. However, there is still a small community of Zoroastrians living in Iran today.