Figures of Four Sassanid Princes on a Mural in Gour City

http://www.chn.ir/en/news/?section=2&id=6183

Tehran, 19 February 2006 (CHN) -- Archeological excavations in the ancient city of Gour resulted in the discovery of a mural depicting images of four Sassanid princes. These four princes with colored dresses consist of two women, a man and a teenage boy.

�These figures were discovered next to a minaret and near a well belonging to the Islamic period. At first, the heads of these four princes were unearthed during the excavations, which made the archeologists dig further to unearth the rest of their figures. All these figures are young belonging to two women and two men. This is the first time such figures have been discovered from the early Sassanid era during the reign of Ardeshir I, [founder of this dynasty who ruled between 226-241 AD],� said Leila Niakan, Head of Iranian team in Gour City.

The figure of one of these women has been remained intact, wearing a garment and standing next to a teenage boy who has embraced a lamb. �It seems that the young woman who is standing beside the teenage boy is his mother. There are two other figures belonging to a young couple, a prince and his wife whose head has been destroyed while only her garment has remained,� added Niakan.

�The style used in this mural indicates how much the art of the early Sassanid period was under the influence of the Parthian era. The use of live colors gives the impression that the figures are very much alive. Green and ochre red are the most prominent colors used in these murals,� explained Niakan about the characteristics of this mural.

This is the first time that the figures of the Sassanid princes have been discovered in Iran. The delicate colors used in these figures indicate the artistic value of this mural which is worth studying in more details.

Historical city of Gour, located near Firuz Abad in Fars province, is the first circle-shaped city of Iran, which was established during the third century AD by the order of Ardeshir Babakan (otherwise known as Ardeshir I), the founder of Sassanid dynasty, and was one of the most important cities during that period. This city had four main gates including Mehr gate on the east, Bahram gate on the west, Hormoz gate on the north, and Ardeshir gate on the south. Recently, archeological excavations in this historical site have started under the supervision of Professor Dietrich, a German archeologist, which resulted in numerous findings in this ancient site.

A designed floor belonging to the early Sassanid era was discovered for the first time in the city of Gour.

The colors used in this floor have been remained intact which indicate the special attention to use various colors in architecture during the Sassanid era.

One of the other important archeological achievements in city of Gour was the discovery of seat area gate which is very similar to the Persepolis facades.

The design of one of Sassanid princes was discovered in the city of Gour.

The murals of four Sassanid princes have been discovered for the first time on one of the walls of the palace.

These four princes were consisted of two women, and two young men. The method used in this fresco shows the effect of the Parthian painting on the art of the bigging of the Sassanid era.