Social constructions of opponents’ suppression during the Darius I rule (A reading of the Bisotun Relief based on Panofsky’s theory)

The Bisotun relief is one of the most remarkable carvings of the Achaemenid period; Its uniqueness is that it can be distinguished from other reliefs of the Achaemenid period in terms of location and specific subject. The Bisotun relief narrates the suppression of rebels and insurgents who, during the time of Darius, claimed that Bardia owned the throne. With the help of some Persian aristocrats, Darius started suppressing them in different parts of the Achaemenid empire. In this relief, the description of these victories is engraved differently. This research aims to read the manifestations of repression on the Bisotun relief, based on Panofsky’s iconography theory, and analyze the Darius era’s social and political background using this approach’s analytical methods and the text of Bisotun relief. The method of this descriptive-analytical research is based on Panofsky’s theory. The information-collecting method is library and field, and the analysis is qualitative. The research findings and results indicate that the existing discourse in this relief shows a type of violence. It also implies Darius’s manifest approach in planning and implementing the Bisotun relief. By elaborating on this relief’s formation factors and analyzing and interpreting human motifs according to the social and political subtext of that period, it is possible to assume a propaganda function.