Elephant Training and Elephant Handling in the Sasanian Army, Hunting, and Ceremonial Contexts with Emphasis on the Concept of Kingship

Raiygani, Seyed Ebrahim

doi:10.22034/z.a.r.2025.730068

Elephant Training and Elephant Handling in the Sasanian Army, Hunting, and Ceremonial Contexts with Emphasis on the Concept of Kingship

Document Type : Original Article

Author

Seyed Ebrahim Raiygani

Associate Professor, Department of Archaeology, University of Neyshabur, Neyshabur, Iran.

10.22034/z.a.r.2025.730068

Abstract

Elephant handling and elephant training were specialized skills during the Sasanian period, apparently reserved exclusively for the ruling class. The extensive use of elephants brought about certain transformations in the religious and cultural practices of the Sasanian era. Their employment in military confrontations—particularly against the Sasanians’ western rival, the Roman Empire—compelled the Sasanians to reconsider their cultural and ideological perspectives toward this animal. Greek–Roman, Middle Persian, and early Islamic sources provide various accounts—based on direct observation or historical reports—regarding the use of elephants in both warfare and peacetime activities. Archaeological data also serve as valuable evidence for verifying and supplementing the information contained in textual sources. The purpose of this research is to analyze the functions of elephants—both individually and in groups—in military operations, royal hunts, and ceremonial contexts during the Sasanian period. This study aims to answer the following questions: How were the functions of elephants reflected in Roman/Byzantine and Islamic historical sources? What archaeological evidence supports their use in the army, royal hunts, and courtly ceremonies? And did the elephant retain its symbolic and functional association with the concept of kingship in the Islamic era as it had in the Sasanian period? Adopting a descriptive–historical analytical approach, this research evaluates textual and archaeological data comparatively. The findings suggest that archaeological evidence largely confirms historical accounts concerning the use of elephants in Sasanian military, recreational, and ceremonial contexts. Moreover, these practices continued without significant alteration during the Islamic period. The concept of kingship—closely linked to the royal and exclusive use of elephants—remained a significant ideological element, reinforcing the notion of elitism and royal privilege associated with this animal across both Sasanian and Islamic times.

Keywords

Elephant

Sasanian Period

Islamic Era

Concept of Kingship

Historical Texts

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