Shapur III
383 - 388 AD
Šābuhr | شاپور سوم | 𐭱𐭧𐭯𐭥𐭧𐭥𐭩
Recreation of Shapur III with a cone like crown. Download
Shapur III likeness image with lens blur. Download
Ver.1 - Last updated: May 17th 2021
Shapur III was the son of Shapur II.
During his five year reign, he settled the dispute over Armenia through diplomacy with most of it remaining under Sasanian control. To the east, he lost control of Kabul to the nomadic Alchon Huns. This was a significant loss, as the city had been a center of coin mintage since the 360s.
Shapur III was succeeded by his son Bahram IV.
Imagining a certain Yazdan Fry Shapur - who could possibly have been Shapur III’s wife and queen from an immaculate Sasanian seal, including her name.
Note the ram horns and a leaf on her crown, long braided hair, and prominent royal ribbon.
The diadem, similarly, has two rows of spherical beads, which is also assumed to be pearls in this rendition. The leaf/palmate motif at the end/either side of the diadem appears similar to those seen in the bronze bust of Kerdirt in the Miho Museum in Japan, and Kerdir’s stone reliefs.
Her tunic is inspired by Sasanian clothing and fabric of the time, even though we can not extrapolate much from the seal itself.
The necklace appears to have spherical or round beads with a center gem hanging in the middle. Pearls were assumed in this illustration, even though it could be flat golden disks as well.
The earrings are inspired by artifacts of jewelry remaining from that time.
One of the amazing characteristics of many Sasanian female depictions is the twisted hair on the cheeks.
Insignia
References
Rock relief, coins, and "Klimova Plate" (Hermitage Museum), presumed to be Shapur III.
Visual Description in Literature
“His vest is red and embroidered, … under his vest he has another vest of yellow, and his crown is green…“ -Hamzah Isfahani
from - The 'History of the Kings of the Persians' in Three Arabic Chronicles: The Transmission of the Iranian Past from Late Antiquity to Early Islam (Translated Texts for Historians LUP) Paperback – September 1, 2018 - by Robert G. Hoyland
Page 67
Likely Accuracy of the Creative Recreation
Between a ‘Weak’ and a ‘Fair Guess’:
Due to stylized nature of art in this period of Iranian history, the representation on the plate could not give enough confidence for an exact recreation. The rock relief of him is weathered and unclear and the coins in this period were not more symbolic than realistic. The coins are used in this instance to find a close likeness of the patterns on the crown.
See the latest work in progress:
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