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Zarathushtra, Vishtaspa, and some Arabic Archæological Accounts

Published online by Cambridge University Press:  15 March 2011

Extract

Ṭabarī (Annales, i, 2448), in his account of the capture of Madā'in-Ctesiphon, the capital of Sasanian Persia, in describing the booty which was taken by the Arabs, writes as follows:—

“And there (they found) two vessels (of a special kind). In one of these (was found) a horse made of gold, with saddle, tail-band and collar of silver, and in the silver were set gems and emeralds, and the bridle was similar; and (on this horse) was a horseman made of silver covered with precious stones. And in the other (was) a she-camel made of silver with saddlegirth of gold, and helm or rein of gold, and all these were set with gems; and on this (she-camel) was a man made of gold covered with precious stones.”

Type
Miscellaneous Communications
Copyright
Copyright © The Royal Asiatic Society 1938

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References

page 88 note 1

page 89 note 1

page 89 note 2 Some Arab writers (e.g. Ibn-al-Faqīh, , Bibl. Geogr., v., 178Google Scholar (quoted by Goldziher, J., Muhammedanische Sludien, ii, 361))Google Scholar state that on Persian carpets and vessels (these objects are specially mentioned) the representation of the eminent King Bahrām-Gūr was always mounted on a camel; from this it may be argued that the latter figure represents this King; but, having regard to the above-quoted passage from Ṭabarī, it is better, in my opinion, to see in it a representation of Zoroaster.