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The different surface textures have been beautifully rendered by the craftsman,who's chosen different kinds of stippling for the flesh of the animal and the clothing of the King. And the key elements of the scene-the King's crown and clothing,the heads,tails and hooves of the stags,are highlighted in gold. When this was displayed in the flickering candlelight of a banquet,the gold would have animated the scene and focussed attention on the central conflict between the King and the beast. This is how Shapur wanted himself to be seen,and his kingdom to be understood. And silver dishes like this one were used by the Sasanian kings in vast quantities,sent as diplomatic gifts across the whole of Asia.
圖畫中的細節被工匠表現得栩栩如生，他運用不同的手法打造出動物肌肉與國王服飾。圖中的重點，即國王的王冠、服飾，鹿的頭、尾和蹄都用黃金裝飾。當銀盤出現在燭光搖曳的宴會上時，黃金將為圖畫增添生氣，讓大家把注意力集中在國王與野獸的沖突上。這就是沙普爾想展現給人民的形象，他也希望別國如此理解他的國家。薩珊國王曾大量鑄造這樣的銀盤，作為外交禮物送往亞洲各地。
As well as sending silver dishes with symbolic images,Shapur also sent Zoroastrian missionaries. It was an identification of the faith with the state that was ultimately to prove very dangerous,especially after the Sasanian Dynasty was swept away and Iran was conquered by the armies of Islam. Here's the historian Tom Holland again:
除了送出具有象征意義的銀盤外，沙普爾還派出了瑣羅亞斯特教的傳教士。這種與政權緊密結合的方式最終被證明十分危險，尤其是當薩珊王朝倒臺、伊朗被伊斯蘭軍隊占領之后。湯姆·霍蘭德解釋道：
"Well Zoroastrianism has really pinned its colours to the Sasanian mast. It has defined itself through the Empire and through the monarchy. And so when those collapse,Zoroastrianism is really crippled. And although over time it is accepted that Zoroastrianism should be tolerated,Islam never affords it the measure of respect that they give to Christians or to Jews. A further problem is that Christians of course,even those that have been conquered by Muslims,can look to independent Christian empires,independent Christian kingdoms,and know that there is such a thing as Christendom still in existence.
瑣羅亞斯特教與薩珊王朝被緊緊地綁在了一起。它通過帝國與君主來給自己定位。因而當帝國崩塌后，瑣羅亞斯特教也元氣大傷。雖然最終這一信仰被保留了下來，但伊斯蘭教從來沒給過他們與基督徒或猶太教相同的尊重。更大的一個問題是，基督徒們就算自己的國家被穆斯林攻占，總還能找到獨立的基督帝國或王國，他們知道總會有這樣的地方存在。
