Shami statue

The Shami Statue is the most important and iconic surviving work from the Parthian Empire,^[1] housed at the National Museum of Iran. The statue is almost completely preserved and depicts a Parthian Prince or nobleman.^[2] It was found by local peasants in Shami village, Khūzestān Province, when workers encountered the bronze statue while digging foundations for construction in 1935.^[3]

The Shami Statue
Material	Bronze
Size	1.94 m high
Created	50 BC-150 AD
Discovered	Shami village, Khūzestān province, Iran, 1935
Present location	National Museum of Iran

There is a long-standing hypothesis that the statue depicts the Parthian general Surena, but scholars have not reached consensus, and this identification remains speculative.^[4][5][6] Some scholars believe that the statue was originally made in Palmyra and later transferred to Susa,^[7][8] while others suggest that it was made in Susa.^[9]

Details and clothing

The character is dressed in Parthian elite clothing, with a commanding posture — appropriate for a high-ranking figure. The hairstyle and clothing resemble those of Parthian horsemen. He is dressed in a long-sleeved coat with a V-shaped collar, and wide, long trousers with a narrow waistband — garments characteristic of Parthian attire. He is wearing a belt with metal plaques, and carrying a dagger at the hip.

The statue is 1.94 m high. The man depicted is shown frontally. He bears a short beard and a heavy moustache, while his hair is long and covers the ears. Around the head he wears a wide ribbon.

The left hand and the entire right arm are missing. However, a bronze arm was later found in Shami, which might belong to the statue. It is possible that the head and the body of the statue were crafted separately and put together in Shami, as the head is too small and made from a different type of bronze as to the rest of the statue.

Gallery

• 
  Then President Ali Khamenei reopening the National Museum of Iran in 1996, and visiting the statue.
• 
  The Statue's replica on display at an exhibition by the National Museum of Iran in Spain.^[10]
• 
• 
• 
• 
• 
• 
• 
• 
• 
•