Study on the Position of the Barbat Instrument in Ancient Iranian Musical Culture based on the Motifs of the Luxurious Metal Vessels of the Sassanid Era

The art of music has always been considered in Iranian cultural periods. According to written documents from the Sassanid period (AD 224-651), such as the biographies of Ardeshir Babakan, the Assyric tree, and Khosrow and Ridag, it can be seen that music flourished during this period. Among the various instruments that existed during this period, it appears that the Barbat instrument had a special privilege. Perhaps the name of Bārbad, the most famous musician of this period, also has a connection with the name of Barbat. The aim of the research is to present samples of Sassanid period engraved metal vessels with Barbat motifs, to investigate the features of this musical instrument in terms of form and the musician's relationship with other motifs in each scene. The question of what was the motivation of the Sassanid artist in engraving the motif of playing the Barbat on luxury metal vessels is the main issue of the research. The collection of research data was done by the library method and their analysis was done by the descriptive-adaptive method. The result shows that during the Sassanid period, the motif of the Barbat instrument was engraved on various forms of metal vessels in various scenes, most of the scenes showing parties, banquets, and court celebrations, and in general, the Barbat instrument has held a special and exalted position in the musical culture of the Sasanian era.