File:Naqsh-e Rostam III (3291730501).jpg

Naqsh-e Rostam III is one of the many rock reliefs attributed to the Sasanian king Bahram II. During his reign, the art of carving rock relief raised to a culminating importance like never before. Bahram II’s The singularity lay not only in the high number of reliefs he ordered (not less than 10), but also in the diversity of their locations and thematic. If Bahram re-used some of the places already hosting some of his Sasanian predecessors reliefs such as Bishapour, or Naqsh-e Rostam (also hosting 4 royal achaemenian tombs ( see it on Rob’s stream), an achaemenian temple, and at last 1 elamite rock relief), he also choose 5 new places never carved before such as Sarab-e Bahram, Sar mashhad, Guyum, Barm-e Dilak, and Sarab-e Qandil. None of these places will ever be carved again, and then, will definitely remain attached to his reign. As Bahram didn’t match any substantial military victory, he could not be represented in any victorious or blessed investiture posture but then introduced some new iconographic themes such as the royal audience given to courtiers (Sarab-e Bahram)

or embassadors (Bishapour II on Rob’s stream)

, love scene (Barm-e Dilak I), or fight against fierce lions (Sar Mashhad)

Carved into a single register, this relief represents the king in a fierce cavalry assault. Bahram is riding a horse running wild against an enemy. The shock looks terrible as the enemy having his lance broken is killed, stabbed in the neck by the king’s lance while his horse bounces back with the shock. Behind the king follows a servant raising high the royal standard.

As Bahram didn’t match any significant military victory and even lost several lands to the romans, this scenery can hardly be taken as a victory scene despite clearly evoking Ardashir’s equestrian victory relief at Firuzabad. Despite the lack of victory to celebrate, the aim could have been to reinforce the king’s image by representating him in a scene of fight either during a war or during a tournament. The killed enemy’s dressings do not look roman, but could be Persian. In such case, the scene would be one of a tournament dedicated to show the king’s force.

2 similar scenes were carved at Naqsh-e Rostam, one carved into 2 registers also attributed to Bahram II, and another attributed to Horzmid II. According to the fact that secular contacts and conflicts with the romans and later Byzantians occurred with the Persians resulting in mutual artistic exchanges and influences, such imaging could have inspired the christian medieval knighthood tradition of tournament imported in Europa through Byzantium by the german knights.