Shapurdukhtak of Sakastan

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 sister and wife of the Sasanian king (shah) Narseh (r. 293–302).

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]

She was the daughter of shah Shapur I (r. 240–270), and is mentioned in his 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. Weber 2016.
  2. Choksy 1989, p. 133.
  3. Gardner 2014, p. 87.
  4. Brosius 2000.

Sources
  • Brosius, Maria (2000). "Women i. In Pre-Islamic Persia". Encyclopaedia Iranica, Vol. London et al.
  • 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.
This article is issued from Wikipedia. The text is licensed under Creative Commons - Attribution - Sharealike. Additional terms may apply for the media files.