Investigating the Image of Lying Person on the Bed and Leaning on A Pillow in the Art of Historical Period of Iran

The artworks of any society represent the cultural spirit that governs the society or at least the ruling class of that society. The historical and sociological background of the formation of artistic phenomena can provide a logical model so that the characteristics and components of cultural behavior can be analyzed. Sociology of art and along with it historical sociology are the scientific branches for investigating this aspect of human culture. Basically, the sociology of art has a specific definition for art. From the point of view of experts in this field, art is a phenomenon that can be criticized, examined and analyzed by sociologists. As a result, the description and explanation of the philosophy of the discovery of art is not paid much attention. Rather, the impact of society and art on each other is important.  The theories of reflection and formation are considered two examples of important and practical theories in the field of understanding the art of any society, including the past and the present. The sociologist has given a definition of the shaping approach as follows: "The effects of art on society" are called shaping. Or about the reflection approach, he mentioned that "art reflects the feelings and emotions of its society like a mirror". The art of Iran during the Achaemenid, Parthian and Sassanid periods is a clear example of the reflection and shaping approaches, which include the visualization of lunging and leaning person on a pillow(s). Lying/leaning on the pillow of an official, on reliefs, metal vessels and seals indicate the influence of the ruling class of Iranian dynasties encounter of Hellenic and later Roman culture. The aim of the present research is to examine the state of social relations (mostly the ruling class), including religious and political components, in the context of portraying a lying person from a privileged class. What made the present research necessary is the historical evolution of such a motif in the different cultural contexts of the ancient world in the East and West. Also, the identification of these different cultural backgrounds that have their roots in the philosophy of their intellectual life. In this article, the authors have tried to answer the question, what is the relationship between the state of lying down and leaning on the pillow in the art of ancient Iran (Achaemenid, Parthian and Sassanid periods) with the context of the active society of that time? And how these artistic platforms have caused collective formation in society or reflection in artistic actions?
The current research is considered fundamental in terms of type. The approach of the current research is sociology of art and historical sociology which has been achieved with the help of the usual methods of data interpretation in the research of art and archeology through two theories of reflection and formation. The two mentioned theories were considered as the framework and the data obtained from citation and survey studies with these two theories have been analyzed in the form of historical description analysis. Archaeological data and evidence from the study of historical texts, such as the writings of Roman historians or Greek historians in the Roman and later Byzantine periods, were used for the studied society (Iran in ancient times). In this research, the art works of art of the three important periods Achaemenid, Parthian and Sasanian have been examined and evaluated through museum experiences and archaeological evidence in order to be able to examine the results of the research, i.e., the visual examples of the king lying on the bed and leaning on the pillow. The result of the investigation indicates that the art of ancient Iran used various methods to give to the audience or to influence them. From the point of view of sociology of art as well as historical sociology, reflection and shaping approaches are two examples of these methods that can be examined and analyzed in the context of sociological art. Regardless of the Assyrian background of the lying human motif in Mesopotamia, which sometimes is seen in reliefs; This motif has a Hellenistic basis; and for the Achaemenians, it seemed like a relatively unfamiliar concept. Therefore, in order to manage the tribes under their subjugation, in the satrapies located in Asia Minor, they tried to use this motif in the form of prominent motifs (including banquet scenes and burial steles). Perhaps Takht-Jamshid can be considered among the first manifestations of attention to the artistic approaches of reflection and shaping in the field of sociology of art in the Achaemenid era; But what is taken into consideration in the upcoming research is the subject of artistic assimilation with regard to the aforementioned approaches in the territories outside the political territories of Iran today and in the soil of Asia Minor, which in ancient times was considered a part of the territory of the Achaemenids. During the rule of the Seleucids after the Achaemenid empire and with the popularization of the statue of Hercules, this element entered the cultural geography of Iran. and in the Parthian era, especially in the prominent Elimai motifs, the frequency of using this element became more apparent. This increase in the use of the motif of the lying man in the relief motifs and sometimes in the dishes from the Seleucid period until the end of the Parthian period should be considered as a result of the growing population of the Hellenic colonies in Iran which from the point of view of sociology of art, they represent both the reflection and shaping approach. If we observe the influence of this concept in the Sasanian period with the highest frequency in movable works, it is obvious. This concept is not depicted in Sassanid reliefs. Because the Sassanid period began with the slogan of nationalism and returning to the tradition of the predecessors of the Parthians, namely the Achaemenids.   But the use of lying and leaning man is not in the prominent motifs that appeared on the silverware and also on the seals from the point of view of shaping and in order to provide a legitimizing format and along with other symbols known as Farrah Izadi. In this way, the motif of the lying man in the Achaemenid art was more in the direction of communicating with the Hellenic audience. This situation in the Seleucid era until the end of the Parthian period was the result of the growth of the Hellenic population in the cultural geography of Iran. In the Sassanid era, this element was continued in order to declare legitimacy along with other related symbols and in unofficial artistic contexts such as vessels and seals. The activist of the Sassanid society traveled the centuries until the Achaemenid period with such artistic approaches and could establish a close relationship with the culture that was created by their predecessors. The mediator and supporter of such cultural formation was the state religion and also the religious state of the Sassanids, which tried to realize the legitimacy-giving aspect in two official and unofficial fronts, where the official front is the prominent motifs and the unofficial front as well. The same seals and containers are considered. It is necessary to explain that the foundations of such thinking, which led to the prominence of the motif of the king/ruler/officer lying on the throne or leaning on a pillow, were well expressed in the literature of later periods, especially the Islamic era, and this is Shahriari's four pillows, which is considered as a political/religious aspect