Nadeem Ahmad, friend of mine, student of medicine and history, and a fine reenactor from UK, specialising in the ancient Persia (Achaemenid, Sassanian etc)
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graciously brought to my attention this image:
It comes from a website of Aventine Minitures,excellent miniature soldiers & horses, and it shows the scene of Sassanian king Shapur I and warriors with the Roman Emperor Philip Arab kneeling in submission ( source - Naqsh-e Rustam Sassanian rock relief and artwork supplied by the immortal Angus McBride's illustration painted for dr David Nicolle's The Sassanian Army). It is nicely explained on the Aventine Miniatures page devoted to this composition, and here the actual Shapur's inscription from Naqsh-e Rustam.
A larger, historical drawing from my previous post - relief at Bishapur
The foreground figure is based on my illustration for Patryk Skupniewicz's article in the Ancient Warfare magazine done some years ago:
Ps
A post from David Palumbo's blog on shooting (photographing) artwork . David comes from an illustrious art family - Boris Vallejo and Julie Bell
As I am working on some 3rd century armies (thanks to Harry Sidebottom) I am wondering if the infantry of the Sassanids was as colourful as the cavalry.
ReplyDeleteSo far the sources suggest no as they were simple cannon-fodder.
What do you think?
cheers
uwe
Salve,
ReplyDeleteHarry's work is a fine historical fiction - :)
ad rem, well for one you have Daylam et all these confederations/statelets and dependencies of the north-western and northern Persia, highlanders inhabiting mountains, and providing strong infantry to the High King - http://www.iranicaonline.org/articles/deylamites Among them Armenians and perhaps Ibrians (Georgians) are shown on the Arch of Galerius (dr Nicolle has a reconstruction in his Sassanian Armies)
In the west you have examples from Dura Europos (eg synagoge) maile-clad infantry with shields.
It seems to me that officers must have been very colorful - just look at the Gerorgians in theri native garb today - and splendidly attired.
So there is some room here, I think.
Also, the best person to ask would have been patryk Skupniewicz or Andreas from Europa Barbarorum II team.
what you mean by saying you are woking on some 3rd cent armies? Figurines?
I would like to see some
cheers