From the Sasanian era, approximately 38 stone reliefs have survived, with 10 of them featuring images alongside inscriptions. These reliefs are considered unparalleled historical documents that depict the most important events and ideological themes of the Sasanians. Although Sasanian reliefs have been studied numerous times by researchers, studies on the impact of the coexistence of words and images in the construction and transmission of messages in Sasanian reliefs are few. The aim of this research is to typologize the relationship between images and inscriptions in Sasanian stone reliefs and to investigate the role of each component in conveying information.
The statistical population of this research includes reliefs that contain both written and visual elements. Among them, five samples with relatively intact and readable components were selected. The research methodology is descriptive-analytical, data collection is done through documentary methods, and the theoretical framework for data analysis is based on Perry Nodelman's theories on the interaction of text and image in illustrated narratives.
The samples in the study can be divided into two categories based on their themes: royal reliefs and religious reliefs. The Sasanians, fully aware of the capabilities of images and inscriptions as two different communicative systems, used stone reliefs as a visual-verbal medium. In royal reliefs, the visual component predominantly depicts the king in a majestic state. The secondary narratives and the position of other individuals are determined by visual symbols. In religious reliefs, the image is minimized, and the spiritual journey and religious teachings are recorded in the inscriptions. Simplifying it somewhat, one can say that information related to the physical world is reflected in the images, while mental and intuitive concepts are conveyed through the inscriptions.