Archaeology and History: An image of Women in Miniatures of Tabriz School and Safavid Period's Texts

Abstract

Historical texts by narrative men of the rulers and the great men of history have said often less about ordinary people, especially women. In fact, women, despite being half of human society and educators of men and the next generation, have had an undeniable influence on social relations, the preservation and perpetuation of traditions, customs and even political games in historical periods. But in most cases, for cultural reasons, less mention is made of their presence in society or defined in the shadow of men. Therefore, archaeological methods and the study of cultural materials are very valuable and useful for clarifying the subject and answering the existing gaps and questions; because archeology has used cultural materials to rebuild communities, culture and people's roles. The present article examines the miniatures of the Tabriz school as material evidence of the Safavid period and tries to compare the image of women presented in the texts of the Safavid period with the remaining images of them in the miniatures of the Tabriz school and the contradictions and similarities between the two. The miniatures of Shahnameh of Shah Tahmasp, Khamse of Nizami and Haft Awrang of Jami showed that women in Safavid Tabriz School at the same time at least during that period, contrary to historical texts have highlighted more active role in the community.

Keywords

• women
• miniature
• tabriz school
• safavid period