*2.1. Investiture Relief*

As it was usual in Sasanian reliefs to arrange the scene around a central axis [23] (p. 352), the sculpture of the king created a center for the Taq-e Bustan investiture relief, around which the Sasanian artist engraved the rest of the scene. The king is illustrated frontally in a standing position, whereas his right hand receives the ring of power from Ahura Mazda, and his left hand holds a sword. Anahita, the assumed divine patron of the Sasanian dynasty, stands on the right side. A power ring is in her right hand while she provides a blessing with her other hand that pours water on the ground from a jar (Figure 2). Following an established iconographic tradition, the king is illustrated larger than the two divine figures. His garmen<sup>t</sup> is fully decorated with pearls and water droplet patterns. Scholars have interpreted this particular treatment as a symbol of the greatness of Anahita in Sasanian beliefs [35]. As usual, none of the Zoroastrian gods and divinities (neither Ahura Mazda nor Anahita) carry any weapons [26] (p. 112). The contrasting juxtaposition of these weaponless divine figures and a king with his hand on a sword in the focal point of the scene conveys the legitimacy of Khosrow's sovereignty through the military and divinely bestowed powers. Khosrow's right to the throne is also emphasized in the engraving of his traditional crown, the use of which was granted only to the representatives of the Sasanian royal house [30] (p. 77).

**Figure 2.** The investiture scene, rock relief, end of the 6th century CE, Taq-e Bustan, The Great Grotto. Photographed by authors, the drawing is taken from: Flandin, E.; Coste, P. *Voyage en Perse*, Gide et J. Baudry, Paris, France, 1851.

The imagery of the crown in Sasanian material culture is a signifier of the king's identity. Although a Sasanian king may have more than one crown, or he may change the crown in the course of his sovereignty—due to grea<sup>t</sup> achievement, the crown may be changed to display the increase in the *farr* (i.e., *xwarenah* in the old Persian language, literally meaning "glory")—as a general rule, these crowns vary in detail. The crown illustrated in the investiture scene may resemble those forged on Sasanian coins from the time of Piruz, Khosrow II, Ardashir III, and Yazdgerd III [33] (p. 583). Nevertheless, archaeological evidence confirms Herzfeld's opinion [36] (pp. 83–100) that regarded Khosrow II as the king depicted on the grea<sup>t</sup> ayvan. The crown illustrated in the investiture scene consists of a headband ornamented with two rows of pearls on its lower part, above which there is a small knurled line with a small crescent in front. A hat with two wide wings on the sides shapes the main part of the crown, and a big crescent placed under corymbs fills the space between these wings [37] (illustrated in p. 59). All the elements of the crown (i.e., pearl band, wings, knurl, crescent, corymbs, and even the small ornaments scattered on the other parts) are believed to be of religious importance as they symbolize the Zoroastrian gods or beliefs, thereby showing the strong connection of the Sasanian king to supernatural powers [38] (p. 325).

The iconography of mythical gods in the shape of natural entities was an ancient tradition dating back to prehistoric Mesopotamia, which continued later in the Iranian Plateau [38] (p. 326). Abu Rayhan Biruni is amongs<sup>t</sup> the earliest to note this in Sasanian imagery: in *Asar Al-Baghieh* (11th century CE), he emphasizes that the corymbs on the Sasanian crown feature the sun, the symbol of Mithra (i.e., an ancient goddess associated with the sun in Persian mythology) [39] (p. 43). Similarly, the mantle and accessories are worn by the king in the divine investiture relief, as well as all other ornaments of the ayvan, clearly refer to the Zoroastrian religion. Thus, they reflect the desire of Khosrow II to introduce his kingdom as a "celestial trust granted [to him] by gods" [38] (p. 327). Khosrow II's grea<sup>t</sup> emphasis on the divinely ordained power and celestial supports are also observable in the presence of a second ring of power in the investiture relief. Though the beribboned ring was a common symbol of the *farr* in Sasanian rock reliefs, which represented the legitimacy of the sovereignty supported by a god or goddess, the depiction of a second power ring in the investiture scene at Taq-e Bustan was unprecedented. To interpret this decision, one needs to analyze the significance of the *farr* in the context of the history of the Sasanians. Abolala Soudavar, an authority on the art of Persian courts, points out the particular characteristic of the *farr*, as the king's acts could cause an increase or decrease in the *farr* [40] (p. 51). Thus, on the one hand, the illustration of a second power ring could imply the king's urgen<sup>t</sup> need for a double confirmation which, considering the events of the earliest years of Khosrow's rule, seems reasonable. For example, the king's tolerance towards Christians and specifically his relationship with Shirin—Khosrow's favorite wife, who was a Christian [2] (p. 34). coupled with the rumor of Khosrow's collaboration in the murder of his father [35] (p. 59) could have decreased the *farr*, prompting the priests to condemn the king. On the other hand, Khosrow's successful military campaigns that stretched the borders of his kingdom could have increased the *farr*, encouraging the king to illustrate multiple, beribboned power rings: "For his two-fold victories in the east and west, Khosrow was receiving two beribboned yarehs from Iranian ¯ deities, and two others from Nike and Fortuna" [40] (p. 50)—the last two names refer to the guardian angels of the Roman and Greeks, also depicted above the arch of the grea<sup>t</sup> ayvan (Figure 1).

The above remarks, once again, point out the contrasting character of Khosrow's rule amongs<sup>t</sup> conquered nations, as well as the royal court circle, including the head priest of the Zoroastrian temples (*mowbed)*, military generals, and aristocrats, which, all together, had the power to overthrow the king due to a reduction in his *farr*. This broadens the scope of the audience of the rock reliefs ordered by Khosrow II. It also explains the grea<sup>t</sup> attention paid to the engraving of details at Taq-e Bustan, making the Great Grotto the beholder of one of the most delicately carved reliefs of ancient Persia.
