52 Facts About Ardashir I

Ardashir I, known as Ardashir the Unifier, was the founder of the Sasanian Empire, the last empire of ancient Iran.

Ardashir I was Ardashir V of the Kings of Persis, until he founded the new empire.

Al-Tabari adds that Ardashir I was sent to the lord of Fort Darabgard when he was seven years old.

Shapur and his father, Papak, suddenly died and Ardashir I became the ruler of Pars.

Ardashir I had an outstanding role in developing the royal ideology.

Ardashir I tried to show himself as a worshiper of Mazda and a descendant of the gods who possesses khvarenah, the divine royal glory attributed to kings in Zoroastrianism.

Literally, Ardashir I means "the one whose reign is based on honesty and justice".

Examples of text remnants related to Ardashir I include his short inscription in Naqsh-e Rajab and Shapur I's inscription at the Ka'ba-ye Zartosht.

Movses Khorenatsi, known as the Armenian Herodotus, an historian of the fifth century AD has stated a story about Ardashir I that is relatively similar to the adapted story from the biography of Cyrus the Great.

Daryaee intends to say that according to that line in the text, it can be deduced that Ardashir I has claimed his lineage to whoever he could.

Since Ardashir I had claimed his royal lineage to Sasan, it is important to inspect who Sasan was.

That was the only way for Ardashir I to forge himself a double noble-religious lineage.

Some have considered Al-Tabari's report suspicious since he presents an elaborate family tree of Ardashir I that relates his generation to mythical and mighty ancient Iranian kings.

Some consider the reports of Karnamag and Shahnameh more justifiable, since Ardashir I being Sasan's son and his adoption by Papak aligns with Zoroastrian norms and customs.

Ardashir I managed to assemble local Persian warriors who believed in the deity.

The oldest archaeological proofs of the period of Ardashir I's reign are acquired from Ardashir I-Khwarrah in south border of Pars.

Therefore, Ardashir I rose up in his war in Ardashir I-Khwarrah, far from the fortress of local Persian shahs in Istakhr and farther from the Parthian Empire.

Ardashir I began the procedure of extending his reign by killing some local kings and taking their domains.

Ardashir I refused to accept Shapur's appointment and removed his brother and whoever stood against him and then minted coins with his face drawn on them and Papak's behind them.

Ardashir I appointed one of his sons named Ardashir as the governor of Kerman.

Artabanus, the Parthian emperor, ordered the governor of Susa to attack Ardashir I, suppress his rebellion and send him to Ctesiphon.

Anyway, by choosing the title Shahanshah, Ardashir I revealed his inclination toward government.

The exact extent and limits of Ardashir I's ruled domain can not be determined correctly.

Ardashir I besieged Nusaybin, which was one of the two fortresses of Roman defense system in Mesopotamia -the other being Harran, but was not able to take it; the Sasanian riders' assault was pulled to other Syrian regions and Cappadocia and they invaded it.

In subsequent Arabic-Persian sources, there has been no mention of the war; the cause of not mentioning might have been Ardashir I considering the incident shameful.

The answer to the question if Shapur was crowned as a shah without a partner during Ardashir I's life depends on the interpretation a special kind of coin.

About the year of Shapur's participation in reign with Ardashir I, it has been written in Cologne Mani-Codex in Greek about Mani's life:.

When I became twenty-four years old; in the year that Persian king, Dari-Ardashir I opened the city Hatra, and in the year Shapur Shah, his son, put the largest crown in the month Famuthi, on the month day, my god, who is the most blessed, made me proud by his generosity, summoned me by his favor.

Ardashir I's conquest of Pars and taking the adjacent lands was a threat for Artabanus; therefore, Artabanus defied Ardashir I and eventually lost the Battle of Hormozdgan and was killed.

Ardashir I carved a memorial inscription for victory in the Battle of Hormozdgan near the city Gur.

Ardashir I had realized that it would be impossible to pursue and finish the policy of attacking and attaching without permanentizing and consolidating power in his domain; and thus, he could alter the military balance in then status and the homeland structure only by removing the local governors and establishing a central power with an organized bureaucratic system.

Ardashir I adds that the "gods" mentioned on the coins were the Achaemenid shahs that were worshiped by the Seleucids after death.

Ardashir I had a remarkable role in developing the royal ideology.

Ardashir I tried to announce himself as a Mazda worshiper connected to god and owner of divine khvarenah.

About that, Al-Tabari has mentioned that Ardashir I claimed and announced that he had risen to take the revenge of Darius III, who had been defeated and killed by Alexander III of Macedon.

Ardashir I believes that the Sasanians' territorial claims were basically different from those of the Achaemenids.

Ardashir I demolished the dynastic sanctuaries of all the vassal kings, permitting only those established with his approval and that honored his dynasty.

Accordingly, in Arsacid Armenia, Ardashir I expanded the temple cults and commanded that the fire of Ohrmazd, which burned on the altar at Bagavan, be kept alight forever.

Ardashir I's beliefs are revealed behind his coins by visualizing the fire temple.

Ardashir I's projecting pictures in Firuzabad, Naqsh-e Rustam and Naqsh-e Rajab have shown him close to Ahura Mazda.

The latter's attention towards Ardashir I has been known as khvarenah due to the mythical Iranian thoughts and it can be compared to the Greek "tuxeh" and the Roman "fortuna".

The rankings of the figures in Ardashir I's court is found from Shapur I's inscription at the Ka'ba-ye Zartosht.

The Sasanians' petroglyphic art was established by Ardashir I and lived on until Shapur II's reign.

Ardashir I's petroglyphs are clearly different from the few remaining Parthian samples and a new historic frame is seen in them.

The coins minted in Ardashir I's period are divided into three general groups based on the applied designs:.

The phrase "Ardashir I Shah" is written on these coins with the phrase "His Majesty Papak Shah" behind.

The second group have the profile of Ardashir I wearing a hat or crown looking right similar to other coins of the Sasanian era.

The symbol behind the second group coins is a fireplace carving based on a design found in Persia and the phrase "Ardashir I's fire" implies a royal fire that was ignited in the beginning of every shah's reign.

Therefore, it can be deduced from the similarity of Ardashir I's coins with the late coins of local Persian governors there was a movement based on Persian traditions and the local Persian governors' adornment of it.

However that does not necessarily mean that Ardashir I was related to the local Persian shahs in all affairs.

Ardashir I's Testament is a book including Ardashir I's political advice to the Iranian shahs who rose after him and he had mentioned lectures in it that he believed were necessary to be applied in running the kingdom.

The original Middle Persian text of Ardashir I's Testament is lost; but some versions of its Arabic translations are available:.