My latest publication Parthian art, that is, has just been published by Brepols in an open access volume entitled Palmyra in Perspective, edited by the indefatigable Rubina Raja. It stems from a conference in Copenhagen back in 2022, at which we were asked to look at Palmyra from our own perspective, in my case a) as someone who knows nothing about it, and b) as an expert on ancient Iranian art. My contribution is called ‘Palmyra and the Problem of Parthian Art’ (not very original, I know), and in it I argue that some people at Palmyra made decisions about material culture that reflected Parthian identities (while not excluding simultaneous other identities, as Palmyerenes, for example).
This sourpuss, for example, looks mighty Palmyrene, with his reclining banquet, giant hands, stubby-legged attendants and Lego-man helmet hair. But at the same time he is wearing trousers, which in Parthian context indicate Parthian or Iranian identity. So he has found a way to depict himself that captured some of the complexity of his identity. Or so I think, anyway.
This is part of my effort to find Parthian art all over the place, including in places that were never ruled by the Parthians, so that maybe some day I’ll be able to explain what Parthian art is.