The regalia of royalty — an example

The regalia of royalty — an example

by Raham Asha

The insignia of the sovereigns were first served to represent the sovereign authority. The Avesta term for “insignia” was the same as for “royal power”, xšaθra. They then served to enhance the sovereign power and splendour, so that the realm and work of the sovereign seemed wonderful (Av. abda-) and excellent (Av. fraša-).

The Persian kings had in their hands a stick which stood for the king’s power to guide and punish (right hand) and a flower of water lily (left hand); these two resemble the aštrā and suβrā of Yima. The insignia imperii of the Persian kings were the robe, crown, shoes, parasol, throne, royal seal, bow, shield, wheel, etc. These insignia were passed on through generations symbolizing the transmission of power. For example, the new Persian king wore during the royal initiation the robe of Cyrus the Elder. On the south door of the central building of Persepolis we find an Achæmenian king under his parasol so that the sun could not directly shine on him.

There is a “magical” power in the ornamentation of kingship, as if it does not allow the enemies to prevail, and it is related to the (eschatological) renovation of the world, frašō.kərəiti. Darius hoped what he had done, it might appear fraša to everyone (DSa 4-5).

The remarkable treasures of the king were twelve in number.

Tabarī has enumerated twelve jewels of the reign of Xusrō II (Husrav Abarvēz, Χοσρόης the Young of the Byzantine writers, reign. 591-628 A.D.).

In a Pārsīg treatise, Māh fravardīn rōz ī hurdād (MFRH) it is said that:

<In India, “eighteen” is an auspicious number. Kauṭilya’s Arthaśāstra I, 12 mentions eighteen titles of high officials.>

The Persian authors have preserved for us in their chronicles, in Arabic and in Persian, the account of the treasures and jewels of Xusrō. The subject of 18 remarkable things of Xusrō has been studied in some details previously.

Here a list of them:

Also In India, an elephant of a whitish color was a preferable ratna.>

About the throne Tāgdēs

In the Persian tradition these three insignia go back to Θraētaona: a cow-headed mace (Pers. gurz ī gāvsār), a seven-eyed belt (Pers. kamar ī haft-cašmag), and a throne (Pers. taxt).

The king who succeeded him, sat on this throne, and added something to it. During the reign of Vīštāspa, his wise minister Jāmāspa engraved on it the celestial sphere, the stars and constellations, the motions of the sun, moon and planets as viewed from the earth (the first model of the “planetarium”). This throne can be compared with that of the Indian king Vikramāditya, a gift from god Indra, on which the cosmos was symbolically represented. The throne of Θraētaona came down up to the time of Alexander who destroyed it. When Ardašēr restored the Persian kingdom, he decided to restore the old throne; Xusrō the Victor finally completed the Cosmic Throne which was destroyed by the Christian emperor of Byzantium, Heraclius. The cosmic throne Tāgdēs captured the imagination of the Persians for many centuries.

— Ferdōsī (10th century), in the Šāhnāma, gives a detailed account of the “reconstructing” of the throne by the order of Xusrō. Xusrō assembled 1120 artisans, with 30 apprentices under each to set it up within Asprēs (= race-course, hyppodrome). They worked for two years over the throne. The throne was 100 royal arš (or, 170 arš) in height, and 120 arš in breadth.

— Taʿâlibî (10th-11th c.), in his History, mentions among the marvels of Xusrō the throne Tāgdēs. According to him, on the top of the throne stood a canopy made of gold and lapis lazuli, representing the sky and the stars, the signs of zodiac, the seven continents, and as well the image of the kings in different attitudes, in the banquet or in battle or hunting. There was also a clockwork apparatus showing the hours of the day. The throne itself was covered with four carpets in brocade embroidered with gold and adorned with pearls and ruby, and each of these carpets was related to one of the seasons of the year…

— The Mujmal

پس کار خسرو سخت بزرگ شد و هیچ پادشاه را چنان خواسته و گنج و زینت نبود، و تعظیم که او را بود، و تفصیل آنچه از وی بازماند در خزینه در آخر نویسیم به جایگاهی، مالی آن را اندازه پیدا نبودست، اما مختصری از دیگرها ذکر کنیم:

تخت طاقدیس بودش. و او تمام بساخت، و آن را قصه دراز است که ابتدا به عهد جمشید کردند، و افریدون بدان زیادتها کرد و از آن بهری به روم افتاد، و به ترکستان گستاسف از جنسی دیگر بساخت، و خسرو از همه جای آن را باز جست و تمام کرد، چنان که اهل عالم اندر آن خیره بودند، و روایت است که هزار خروار زر تمامت در آنجا کرده بود، (بیرون) از جواهر که قیمت آن بی غایت باشد; و دوازده هزار زن در شبستان او بودند از بنده و آزاد و در جمله مریم دختر ملک روم، و بهرام‌دخت، و کردویه، و شیرین که تا جهان بوده است کس به نیکویی او صورت نشان نداده است ...; و هجده هزار اسب بر آخور بودش، و در جمله خاصگان چون شبدیذ آنکه به کرمانشاهان صفت او بر نقش کرده است...; و نهصد پیل بودش به روزگار، و در جمله پیلی که آن را کذیزاد خواندندی...; و دوازده هزار استر بارکش بودش...; و خسرو پرویز را ز آنچه هیچ ملوک دیگر نبود کوز ابری بود هرچند از آن شراب و اگر آب فرو کردندی هیچ کم نیامدی; و دستارچه‌ آذرشب (آذرشُست) و آن از موی سمندر بافته بود; زر مُشت افشار کی بر آن مهر نهادی و بر سان موم بود. و از جملهٔ گنجها، چون گنج عروس و گنج بادآورد و گنج کاووس و گنج افراسیاب و دینار خسروانی و این هر یک را قصه‌ای است که چگونه بودست و چگونه به دست افتاد.

— مجمل التواریخ و القصص، م. بهار، تهران، 1318، 79-81

— Nezāmī (12th century), the Xusrō u Šīrēn.

<دیوان کامل نظامی گنجوی، تهران، 1355، نشستن ِ خسرو بر تخت ِ طاقدیس، 239-241>

….

— The Book of Marvels.

شیز: شهری است میان مراغه و زنجان، در میان کوهها نهاده. و آنجا معدن زر و سرب و زرنیخ و جیوه و جمست بود، ولیکن هیزم عزیز بود. نقره کم گدازند. سور ِ وی گرد در آمده بر دریایی کوچک، و آتشخانه ای بزرگ و تخت کی خسرو آنجا بود، تختی برنجین به دو گردون کشیدندی در آنجا نهاده بود، و جام گیتی نمای. تا روزگار گبران سر آمد و اسلام ظاهر شد، گبران بترسیدند از غارت آن. آن را در بحیره ای انداختند که در شیز است و دیگر کس آن را ندید.

— محمد ابن محمود همدانی، عجایبنامه، جعفر مدرس صادقی، تهران، 1375، 458

— Georges Cedrenus (11th century) gives an account of the “temple of sun” in Ganzag, after the city was taken by Heraclius. Byzantine soldiers found there the treasure of Croesus, king of the Lydians, the image of Xusrō in the form of a sphere, representing the king as sitting in heaven, around which the sun, the moon, and the stars were roaming, and with the king were the “angels” with sceptres in their hands; the Persians had prepared engines to cause to fall in drops like rain (representing the star Tištrya vārāngirdār), and to make a sound like thunder.

— Jacobus de Voragine (13th century), in his Golden Legend, recites the details of the story (and propaganda) of the bearing of the cross of Jesus from Jerusalem to Persia by Xusrō the Victor, and the onslaught of Herclius. He describes Xusrō as the king who subdued to his kingdom all the realms of the world, and he who would be of all the people as a god.

It is read in libro de mitrali officio:

Xusrō, resident in his throne as a father, set the tree of the cross on his right side instead of the sun (viz., the svastika representing the sun), and a cock (representing Sraoša) on the left side instead of the Holy Ghost, and commanded that he should be called father.*

< Notice that in the Avesta, Miθra is associated with Sraoša and Rašnu: On his right is Sraoša, and on his left Rašnu (Yt 10.100) –but in Yt 10.126 Rašnu is on his right. The cock and dog are the “material” aspects of Sraoša and Rašnu. About the association of the cock and dog, see Bd 157. About the relation of Sraoša and the cock see Vd 18.22-23. See also MJF 2.25 hān xrōs xvānend murvag ī srōšahlāy ‘They call it “cock”, the bird of Sraoša aṣya.’>

Xusrō made a tower of gold and of silver, wherein precious stones shone, and made therein the images of the sun and of the moon and of the stars, and made that by subtle conduits water to be hid, and to come down in manner of rain. And in the last stage he made horses to draw chariots round about, like as they had moved the tower, and made it to seem as it had thundered. Xusrō abode in this temple, and delivered his realm to his son (confusion of the Sasanian king Xusrō with Kay-Xusrō/ Av. kavi haosravah), and set the cross by him, and commanded that he should be called god, of all the people. And then Heraclius the emperor assembled a great host and came for to fight with the son of Xusrō by the river of Danube. And finally he broke that tower, and gave the silver to them of his host, and gave the gold and precious stones for to repair the churches that the tyrant had destroyed (the usual excuse of the Christians).