Naqsh-e Rostam relief of Narseh receiving the ring of kingship from a female figure, believed by some scholars to be the goddess Anahita, whilst others have proposed Shapurdukhtak.[1]

Shapurdukhtak (Middle Persian: Šābuhrduxtag, literally "daughter of Shapur"), also known as Shapurdukhtak II,[2] was a Sasanian queen (banbishn) in the late 3rd and early 4th-centuries, who was the wife of the Sasanian king (shah) Narseh (r. 293–302). She has been suggested to be the daughter of shah Shapur I (r. 240–270), however, this is disputed.[3][4]

She is mentioned in the inscription at Ka'ba-ye Zartosht written in c. 262. She held the title of sagan banbishn ("Queen of the Saka"), due to her husband Narseh serving as governor of Sakastan at that time.[3] When Narseh ascended the throne in 293, he had an investiture relief made in Naqsh-e Rostam, where he is depicted as receiving the ring of kingship from a female figure that is frequently assumed to be the goddess Anahita. However, some scholars have suggested that this may be his queen, Shapurdukhtak.[1][4]

References

  1. 1 2 Weber 2016.
  2. ↑ Choksy 1989, p. 133.
  3. 1 2 Gardner 2014, p. 87.
  4. 1 2 Brosius 2000.

Sources

  • Brosius, Maria (2000). "Women i. In Pre-Islamic Persia". Encyclopaedia Iranica, Vol. London et al.{{cite encyclopedia}}: CS1 maint: location missing publisher (link)
  • Choksy, Jamsheed K. (1989). "A Sasanian Monarch, his queen, crown prince, and deities: The coinage of Wahram II". American Numismatic Society. 1: 117–135. JSTOR 43580158. (registration required)
  • Gardner, Iain (2014). Mani at the Court of the Persian Kings: Studies on the Chester Beatty Kephalaia Codex. BRILL. pp. 1–332. ISBN 9789004282629.
  • Weber, Ursula (2016). "Narseh". Encyclopaedia Iranica.
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