Comparative Study of the of Individuals' Beard-styles in reliefs of Persepolis with Regard to the Social Status

In the Iranian art history, most of the reliefs are from the Achaemenian period and represent the artistic basis of this period. The reliefs of Persepolis are the manifestation of the thoughts of artists who were bound to their proper principles and beliefs. Therefore, they tried to create works which accorded to the social classes. All the faces are apparently alike, but the creators of these statues made a slight difference which was the criterion for the recognition of each of them. The achaemenian artist follows defined rules; the difference in reliefs of human groups in Persepolis indicates that the beard-style would change in accordance with the social class. So, three kinds of beard-style can be seen in Persepolis: short, medium and long. The soldiers and ordinary people have short beards, because naturally they are not in a high position. The nobles have long beard and their beard-styles are different from that of the soldiers because they are in a higher position from soldiers. The kings are in the highest position. So, they have the longest beards. They have also the highest dignity materially and spiritually. With this classification we can find out the material and then the spiritual position of the people by looking carefully at any one of them. By comparing the reliefs of Farvahar and Daryush we can understand there similarities between the beard-styles of these two, which show the relation between relief of Farvahar and that of Daryush. The Achaemenian artist has made a resemblance between Farvahar and Daryush, paying attention to the beard-style in order to show the spiritual dignity of the king. Employing the beard-style in the reliefs of the Persepolis, also implies that the Achaemenian sculpture has had in mind the aspects of realism and these styles are considered signs for recognizing different groups of people. Definitely, the same classification existed in the real world. Using the beard-style in the reliefs is not limited to the Achaemenian period. Paying attention to the existing works which date back to the period before Achaemenians, we can find out that beard had been an indicator of one’s dignity and superior position. As we see in the relief related to Daryush, the king has a longer beard. Certainly, the idea of using beard-style in artistic works in this large scale has been taken from very old thoughts which rooted in the ancient beliefs of the people in that period. It had been a tradition which had come down to the Achaemenians. The artist had used this method intentionally to express his ideas. To create such works, the artist, having returned to his artistic originality and composing the reality with symbols, has created a اwork in which, comparing different groups, one can see the elevation of art in accordance with ranks. The sculptor believed that the reliefs which had higher social and intellectual rank deserved the best artistic creation. Thus, divinity is the basis of the art in question, and the beard-style is a good means to this end, because it represents the spiritual side for Iranians.