Iconographical Interpretation and analysis of the statue of the human with scorpion on shoulders in Jiroft culture(3rd Millennium BC)

Sangari, Esmaeil; Taheri Bakhtiarvand, Shaghayegh

doi:10.22103/jis.2025.25064.2717

Iconographical Interpretation and analysis of the statue of the human with scorpion on shoulders in Jiroft culture(3rd Millennium BC)

Document Type : Scientific

Authors

¹ Associate professor, Department of History and Iranology, University of Isfahan, Isfahan, Iran

² MA in Ancient History of Iran, University of Isfahan, Isfahan, Iran

10.22103/jis.2025.25064.2717

Abstract

Purpose: Objects found in the Halilrud civilization basin, especially Jiroft, are one of the most talked about ancient Eastern world. The Jiroft locale was almost obscure from an archaeological point of view some time recently in 2001. After the flood in this locale and the disclosure of different stone vessels with various pictures, the consideration of numerous archeologists was once more drawn to southeastern Iran. From an archaeological perspective, the aforementioned culture dates back to the third millennium BC, during the Bronze Age. One of the most important objects of this culture is the statue of a scorpion-shouldered man. The objective of the inquire about is to genuinely explore for the scorpion-shouldered human statue within the Jiroft culture and encompassing civilizations within the third thousand years BC.
Method and Research: One of the most important methods of studying works of art is iconographic and iconological research. The study of iconography is a branch of science through which literature and stories related to a work are interpreted. In contrast, through iconological study, the meaning hidden in symbols and allegories in the context and cultural structure of a subject is examined. The present research, relying on library resources and a descriptive-analytical method, aims to study the mentioned statue through iconographic and iconological study.
Findings and Conclusions: Due to the unknown nature of the script on the Jiroft tablets, one of the methods of studying the works of Jiroft culture is iconographic and iconological study. In the iconography section of the Scorpion-Shouldered Man statue, the apparent similarity between the myth of Zahhak and the statue discovered in the Jiroft culture is pointed out through written data in literary and religious arts. In the iconology section, considering the archaeological achievements in the areas surrounding the Jiroft culture, the connection of this culture through trade relations, using the comparative study method, the similarity between the mentioned statue and other gods and goddesses common in the civilizations surrounding Jiroft has been searched.

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