Celestial Kingship: The Sasanian King as the Terrestrial Agent of Shahrewar

Abstrakt

The Sasanian dynasty sacralized kingship through divine sanction, using royal iconography to legitimize authority. This article aims to study how Sasanian royal iconography served as a visual strategy to legitimize political authority by sacralizing kingship. Moving beyond stylistic analysis, it offers an interdisciplinary approach, connecting art to theological texts and sociological theory. By analyzing rock reliefs, coins, and metalwork alongside Zoroastrian literature and Max Weber’s concept of charismatic authority, the research demonstrates how kings were portrayed as divine warriors. The findings reveal that this imagery deliberately aligned rulers with Shahrewar, the divinity of justice and rulership, casting them as his earthly agent and executive representative. This strategy not only justified Sasanian rule but also fostered political unity, underscoring the powerful role of visual culture in shaping ideological and collective identity.