ther, that among the
bas-reliefs of the greatest merit which belong to Sassanian times, one
at least must be ascribed to him; and that, this being so, there is
considerable probability that two others of the same class belong also
to his reign. The one which must undoubtedly be his, and which tends
to fix the date of the other two, exists at Nakhsh-i-Kustam, near
Persepolis, and has frequently been copied by travellers. It represents
a mounted warrior, with the peculiar head-dress of Varahran IV.,
charging another at full speed, striking him with his spear, and bearing
both horse and rider to the ground. [PLATE XXXIX.] A standard-bearer
marches a little behind; and a dead warrior lies underneath Varahran's
horse, which is clearing the obstacle in his bound. The spirit of the
entire composition is admirable; and though the stone is in a state of
advanced decay, travellers never fail to admire the vigor of the design
and the life and movement which characterize it.

[Illustration: PLATE XXXIX.]

The other similar reliefs to which reference has been made exist,
respectively, at Nakhsh-i-Eustam and at Firuzabad. The Nakhsh-i-Rustam
tablet is almost a duplicate of the one above described and represented,
differing from it mainly in the omission of the prostrate figure, in the
forms of the head-dresses borne by the two cavaliers, and in the shape
of the standard. It is also in better preservation than the other,
and presents some additional details. The head-dress of the Sassanian
warrior is very remarkable, being quite unlike any other known example.
It consists of a cap, which spreads as it rises, and breaks into three
points, terminating in large striped balls. [PLATE XXVI., Fig. 2.]
His adversary wears a helmet crowned with a similar ball. The standard,
which is in the form of a capital T, displays also five balls of the
same sort, three rising from the cross-bar, and the other two hanging
from it. Were it not for the head-dress of the principal figure, this
sculpture might be confidently assigned to the monarch who set up the
neighboring one. As it is, the point must be regarded as undecided, and
the exact date of the relief as doubtful. It is, however, unlikely to be
either much earlier, or much later, than the time of Varahran IV.

The third specimen of a Sassanian battle-scene exists at Firuzabad, in
Persia Proper, and has been carefully rendered by M. Flandin. It is in
exceedingly bad condition, but appears to