The Equestrian Relief of Hung-e Azhdar: A Historical Memory for the Dynastic Lineages of Elymais

ABSTRACT During the Parthian era (ca. 238 BC–224 AD), rupestrian art was mainly the product of the patronage of kings, independent aristocrats, subjugated vassals, or peripheral rulers, which often developed independently from the main authorities conventions, shaping a proper tradition through the canonisation of certain motifs. In the minor kingdom of Elymais, the socio-political situation seems to have stimulated a creative combination of native, Hellenistic and Parthian artistic elements. Within this panorama, the enigmatic carving of Hung-e Azhdar within the Zagros-Bakhtiari region in southwestern Iran embraces a tradition of two to three centuries of Iranian art, starting from the use of well-rooted Hellenistic heritage at Izeh-Malamir. The choice of this specific boulder, already bearing an Elamite relief, suggests that this enclosed spot represented a regionally important cult site where the reaffirmation of royal power and the necessity of political propaganda was evoked by the kings of Elymais.