Early-Sasanian royal ceremonies and heroic qualities. The case of Šābuhr I’s inscription at Ḥājiābād

The present paper aims to reconstruct the cultural framework of Šābuhr I’s Inscription at Ḥājiābād taking into consideration a chronologically and typologically diversified set of evidence. The text of this bilingual inscription, in fact, stands out for its originality and admits a wide range of comparisons within the horizon of the Iranian civilization. In particular, throughout the pre-Islamic period, the motive of the “best archer” along with its specific epithets, qualities, and narrative functions played a substantial role in the fabrication of both heroic characters and royal imagery. The investigation will thus underline the versatility and multifaceted implications of Šābuhr’s epigraphic message within the promotion of the dynastic ideology and its links with the past.