Publication of the Book 'History of Ancient Iranian Clothing' by Fereydoun Pour Bahman - 2003-09-06

Recently, Fereydoun Pour Bahman published the book 'History of Ancient Iranian Clothing' in French. Pour Bahman is a specialist in the history and art of ancient Iran as well as ancient French history. According to the Archaeological Newsletter of Iran, this book covers a time span of about 5,000 years (4,000 years before Christ to the late Sasanian period) and refers to the oldest mythical kings of ancient Iran such as Tahmuras, Kiumars, and especially Jamshid, who is said to have taught the art of spinning and weaving to the people of his time. The 'History of Ancient Iranian Clothing' also includes 105 designs and 2 maps of Iran, one relating to present-day Iran and the other to ancient Iran. Pour Bahman points out that the main reason for writing this book was the lack of documents regarding the clothing of ancient Iran in languages such as French, English, and Latin. He states that all the designs in this book were created based on coins, reliefs, inscriptions, and artifacts available in the museums of ancient Iran, the Louvre in Paris, and museums in London, the USA, and other cities around the world. He emphasizes that most of his designs relate to prominent figures of ancient times, as there is little information available about ordinary people of that era. According to ISNA, one of the oldest themes in the designs of this book is the delegation of power to an Elamite king by his protective goddess, while the king stands on a fallen soldier as a sign of victory over the enemy. Pour Bahman also notes that 'the best clothing examples, which are found both in Iran and the Louvre in Paris, are those of the Immortal Soldiers of the Achaemenid dynasty.' It is noteworthy that 'History of Ancient Iranian Clothing' references the poetry of Ferdowsi as evidence of the clothing of that era, and for instance, according to ISNA, it discusses the color of the clothing of the soldiers and concludes from these poems that soldiers wore turquoise-colored clothing in battle. However, Pour Bahman admits that there is no living evidence in this regard and thus refers to Ferdowsi's poetry, which mentions the colors of clothing during the Pishdadian era. This book provides a summary of the history of Iran and begins with the Elamite dynasty and their clothing.