Divine mandate for the kings of the Sassanid state (226-637 AD) in the light of historical and archaeological data

Abstract

The study sheds light on the belief of the divine mandate for the kings of the Sassanid state (226-637 AD), which means the divine choice of their kings, as well as the authority of the gods for the kings to be their representatives on earth, as well as their support by the gods in the course of their rule, and the care and preservation of the interests of their state.

    The research included more than one demand, the first of which: it will provide an overview of the divine mandate in the civilizations of the ancient Near East, in which it is rooted for this belief that the Iranians quoted from Mesopotamia and ancient Egypt, and they were influenced by what was in this belief. In the second requirement, he will review the historical roots of the belief in divine authority in the historical ages that preceded the Sassanids, namely the Medes, the Achaemenids, and the Parthians, because of their continuous follow-up on the same belief among the Sassanids. The third demand came: to talk about the belief in divine authority in light of the historical data that we derive from the Avestan texts, the book Shahnameh of Firdawsi, and the ancient Sassanian writings. It reviews the last requirement and analyzes the belief in divine authority in the light of archaeological data, which include the prominent carvings in the Sassanid inscriptions in Takht Jamshid and Taq Bustan, as well as what was included in the inscriptions on the coins.