Colossal Statue of Shapur I
Encyclopedia
The colossal statue of Shapur I
Shapur I
Shapur I or also known as Shapur I the Great was the second Sassanid King of the Second Persian Empire. The dates of his reign are commonly given as 240/42 - 270/72, but it is likely that he also reigned as co-regent prior to his father's death in 242 .-Early years:Shapur was the son of Ardashir I...

 is standing in the Shapur cave
Shapur cave
Shapur cave is located in the Zagros Mountains, in southern Iran, about 6 km from the ancient city of Bishapur. This cave is near Kazerun....

 which is located in the south of Iran
Iran
Iran , officially the Islamic Republic of Iran , is a country in Southern and Western Asia. The name "Iran" has been in use natively since the Sassanian era and came into use internationally in 1935, before which the country was known to the Western world as Persia...

 and about 6 km off the ancient city of Bishapur
Bishapur
thumb|Irano-Roman floor mosaic detail from the palace of [[Shapur I]] at BishapurBishapur is an ancient city situated south of modern Faliyan, Iran on the ancient road between Persis and Elam. The road linked the Sassanid capitals Istakhr and Ctesiphon...

. With a height of about 6.70 m and a shoulder width of more than 2 m, it’s one of the most impressive sculpture
Sculpture
Sculpture is three-dimensional artwork created by shaping or combining hard materials—typically stone such as marble—or metal, glass, or wood. Softer materials can also be used, such as clay, textiles, plastics, polymers and softer metals...

 from the Sassanian period.

The monumental statue is chiseled of a stalagmite
Stalagmite
A stalagmite is a type of speleothem that rises from the floor of a limestone cave due to the dripping of mineralized solutions and the deposition of calcium carbonate. This stalagmite formation occurs only under certain pH conditions within the underground cavern. The corresponding formation on...

 grown on the spot. It’s standing about 35 m from the cave entrance, on the fourth of a total five terraces which are in the sector A of the cave. The head with the stepped battlements crown
Crown (headgear)
A crown is the traditional symbolic form of headgear worn by a monarch or by a deity, for whom the crown traditionally represents power, legitimacy, immortality, righteousness, victory, triumph, resurrection, honour and glory of life after death. In art, the crown may be shown being offered to...

 and the body of the sculpture are now in good condition while large parts of the arms and legs are missing. After its fall caused very probably by a strong earthquake between fifteenth and nineteenth century, the sculpture was raised in the middle of the twentieth century on two concrete pillars which are now standing near the original feet of the statue.

Because of the shape of the crown
Crown (headgear)
A crown is the traditional symbolic form of headgear worn by a monarch or by a deity, for whom the crown traditionally represents power, legitimacy, immortality, righteousness, victory, triumph, resurrection, honour and glory of life after death. In art, the crown may be shown being offered to...

 which changing in the Sassanian period from king to king and on the basis of art historical
Art history
Art history has historically been understood as the academic study of objects of art in their historical development and stylistic contexts, i.e. genre, design, format, and style...

 considerations, the colossal statue can be identified as Shapur I
Shapur I
Shapur I or also known as Shapur I the Great was the second Sassanid King of the Second Persian Empire. The dates of his reign are commonly given as 240/42 - 270/72, but it is likely that he also reigned as co-regent prior to his father's death in 242 .-Early years:Shapur was the son of Ardashir I...

, the second Sassanian king. Due to the details of the hairstyle, G. Reza Garosi succeeded to date the colossal statue exactly in the second half of the sixties of third century AD.

Although the colossal statue of Shapur I is known in Europe since at least 1811, it was not dealt detailed till recently. It was mentioned, for example, by Roman Ghirshman
Roman Ghirshman
Roman Ghirshman was a Ukrainian-born French archeologist who specialized in ancient Iran.A native of Kharkiv, Ghirshman moved to Paris in 1917 to study Archeology and Ancient Languages...

, Kurt Erdmann and Georgina Herrmann. The first comprehensive research about the cave and the colossal statue of Shapur I was done by G. Reza Garosi.

Literature

  • Roman Ghirshman
    Roman Ghirshman
    Roman Ghirshman was a Ukrainian-born French archeologist who specialized in ancient Iran.A native of Kharkiv, Ghirshman moved to Paris in 1917 to study Archeology and Ancient Languages...

    : Iran, Parther und Sasaniden. Universum der Kunst. Hrsg. André Malraux
    André Malraux
    André Malraux DSO was a French adventurer, award-winning author, and statesman. Having traveled extensively in Indochina and China, Malraux was noted especially for his novel entitled La Condition Humaine , which won the Prix Goncourt...

    ; Georges Salles (1962).
  • Kurt Erdmann: Die Kunst Irans zur Zeit der Sasaniden. 2. Aufl.; Kupferberg (1969).
  • Georgina Herrmann: The Iranian revival. Impressum Oxford: Elsevier-Phaidon (1977).
  • G. Reza Garosi: Die Kolossal-Statue Šāpūrs I. im Kontext der sasanidischen Plastik. Publishing company: Philipp von Zabern, Mainz & Darmstadt, Germany (2009).
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