Kneel Before the Iranians... (The Narrative of the Rock Inscription of Iran's Victory over the Roman Empire)

✍️ Alireza Ghorbani – Social Researcher

This perhaps serves as a lesson to the enemies of Iran: whoever attacks Greater Iran and conflicts with the Iranians will ultimately end up kneeling before them.

In the heart of ancient Iranian history, carved onto the breast of the rocks at Naqsh-e Rostam, the story of a great victory over a powerful enemy has been inscribed for future generations.

If you have traveled to Fars province, in the historical site of Naqsh-e Rostam, ten meters east of the tomb of Darius the Great of the Achaemenid Empire, a rock inscription is carved. It depicts Shapur I, the Sasanian king, majestically mounted on a sturdy horse at the forefront of the Iranian army. Facing him, Valerian, the arrogant Roman Emperor who until recently considered himself the master of the world, is shown kneeling on the ground, stretching his hands out in supplication towards the Iranian victor.

This work is called the Rock Inscription of Shapur's Victory over the Roman Emperors. It was created by the command of Shapur I, the second Sasanian king, in the 3rd century AD to remain eternal forever.

This inscription, with a length of nearly 11 meters and a width of 5 meters, is one of the prominent and highly detailed surviving works from the Sasanian era.

The main scene of the inscription shows Shapur I mounted on an adorned horse, gazing to the left.

He is depicted with a crenellated crown, flowing hair, and a curled beard set within a ring, possessing a regal majesty.

Facing him, two important Roman figures are seen:

The Standing Figure: This person, who is beardless and has a thick neck, is Emperor Valerian. Shapur is holding his wrist, which, based on an ancient tradition, symbolizes his capture.

The Kneeling Figure: This person, kneeling in front of Shapur's horse and stretching his hands out in a pleading manner, is Philip the Arab, the former Roman Emperor. He, with a short and curly beard, had been forced to pay tribute to Shapur after his defeat.

This event occurred in 260 AD at the Battle of Edessa and is recorded as one of the most glorious victories in ancient Iranian history and one of the most humiliating defeats for the Roman Empire.

And now the story of this war:

The story began when Shapur, after ascending the throne, resolved to expand Iran's power and unify the country. Meanwhile, Armenia, which was a dependency of Iran, was in a poor state, embroiled in internal conflicts, and the Iranian king was compelled to take measures to restore order in Armenia. The Roman Empire, which had long coveted the region of Armenia and perceived that the Sasanians still lacked the necessary power to control their dependencies, could not tolerate these actions. Using the pretext of supporting Armenian rebel groups and with the long-term goal of annexing this territory to the Roman state, they first attacked Iran with the army of Gordian III, the young Roman Emperor. Shapur defeated him in a fierce battle, and Gordian was killed on the battlefield. The Romans chose Philip the Arab as his successor, but he too could not withstand the pressure and was forced to buy peace by paying 500,000 gold dinars to Shapur and pledging not to interfere in Armenian affairs.

However, this peace did not last long. When the ruler of Armenia was killed in one of the internal rebellions, Shapur intended to bring order to the region. The Romans, contrary to their previous commitment, obstructed this effort. This action provided Shapur with the necessary pretext to once again prepare his army to confront the "oath-breakers." In a lightning attack, he captured several Roman cities and challenged Roman military authority.

This time, Valerian, the aged and arrogant Roman Emperor, personally took to the field with a massive army of 70,000 warriors. The two superpowers of the ancient world clashed near the city of Edessa (in modern-day Turkey). The result of the battle was catastrophic for the Romans: the Roman army was completely crushed, and for the first time in history, a Roman Emperor was captured alive, along with tens of thousands of his soldiers and senators. Shapur boastfully writes in his inscription: "We captured Valerian with our own hands!"

Shapur utilized this great victory to display Iran's grandeur and power. According to some narratives, Shapur used Valerian as a human footstool for mounting his horse, to make it clear to everyone that even the position of Roman Emperor was beneath his feet. He used the Roman captives, among whom were skilled engineers and workers, for large-scale civil engineering projects such as the construction of the Shadorvan Dam in Shushtar and the Dezful Bridge.

To immortalize this historical moment, Shapur ordered the scene of his victory and Valerian's kneeling to be carved into several massive rock inscriptions, including at Naqsh-e Rostam and Naqsh-e Rajab.

In other narratives, some reports of severe mistreatment of Valerian (such as stuffing his skin with straw after death) can be found, but these are inaccurate and primarily stem from Christian sources who held a grudge against him due to his persecution of Christians and aimed to depict the terrible fate of their enemy. Therefore, these accounts may be exaggerated or distorted.

This event not only solidified the position of the Sasanians as a global superpower but has also remained for centuries as a symbol of Iran's honor and authority in the historical memory of this land.

Persian Sources

Article: "A Comparative Study on the Representation of the Visual Narratives of Valerian's Captivity by Shapur in the Bas-Relief of Naqsh-e Rostam and Some Western Paintings"

Authors: Alireza Taheri and Azam Zafarkamel

Journal: Rahpouye Honar, affiliated with Soureh University

Publication Year: Based on the mentioned access date (2022), this article was published at least before this date.

Research Method: This research was conducted using a descriptive-analytical method.

Thesis: "Analytical Study of Commonalities Found (in Names, Kunyas, and Titles) in Historical Texts"

Researcher: Ruhollah Shah Moradi

Level: Level 3, History of the Ahl al-Bayt

Publication Year: 2019

Supervisor: Hojjat al-Islam wal-Muslimin Hossein Moradi Nasab

Advisor: Dr. Mansour Dadashnejad

Book: "The Tradition of Text Correction in Iran after Islam"

Author: Mojtaba Mojrad

This book addresses the analytical history of the stages of the evolution of text correction in Iran during the Islamic period.

Book: "History of Manuscript Production and Correction of Manuscripts"

Author: Naji Mayel Heravi

The Miras Maktoob Research Center

One of the active centers in the field of correcting and publishing ancient texts.

English (Latin) Sources

Book: "Sasanian Persia: The Rise and Fall of an Empire"

Author: Touraj Daryaee

An authoritative book for analyzing Sasanian history and the victories of Shapur I.

Book: "The Roman Empire from Severus to Constantine"

Author: Pat Southern

Analyzes the state of the Roman Empire during the period in question and the defeat of Valerian.

Article: "A Comparative Study on the Representation of Valerian’s Captivation by Shapur in the Bas Relief of Naqsh-e Rostam and Western Paintings"

Authors: Alireza Taheri and Azam Zafarkamel

This article is the English abstract of the Persian research article and can be used as a reliable source for international references