In war the monarch encased the upper part of his person in a coat of mail, composed of scales or links.  Over this he wore three belts; the first, which crossed the breast diagonally, was probably attached to his shield, which might be hung from it; the second supported his sword; and the third his quiver, and perhaps his bow-case.  A stiff, embroidered trouser of great fulness protected the leg, while the head was guarded by a helmet, and a vizor of chain mail hid all the face but the eyes.  The head and fore-quarters of the royal charger were also covered with armor, which descended below the animal’s knees in front, but was not carried back behind the rider.  The monarch’s shield was round, and carried on the left arm; his main offensive weapon was a heavy spear, which he brandished in his right hand.

One of the favorite pastimes of the kings was hunting.  The Sassanian remains show us the royal sportsmen engaged in the pursuit of the stag, the wild boar, the ibex, the antelope, and the buffalo.  To this catalogue of their beasts of chase the classical writers add the lion, the tiger, the wild ass, and the bear.  Lions, tigers, bears, and wild asses were, it appears, collected for the purpose of sport, and kept in royal parks or paradises until a hunt was determined on.  The monarchs then engaged in the sport in person, either singly or in conjunction with a royal ambassador, or perhaps of a favorite minister, or a few friends.  The lion was engaged hand to hand with sword or spear; the more dangerous tiger was attacked from a distance with arrows.  Stags and wild boars were sufficiently abundant to make the keeping of them in paradises unnecessary.  When the king desired to hunt them, it was only requisite to beat a certain extent of country in order to make sure of finding the game.  This appears to have been done generally by elephants, which entered the marshes or the woodlands, and, spreading themselves wide, drove the animals before them towards an enclosed space, surrounded by a net or a fence, where the king was stationed with his friends and attendants.  If the tract was a marsh, the monarch occupied a boat, from which he quietly took aim at the beasts that came within shot.  Otherwise he pursued the game on horseback, and transfixed it while riding at full speed.  In either case he seems to have joined to the pleasures of the chase the delights of music.  Bands of harpers and other musicians were placed near him within the enclosure, and he could listen to their strains while he took his pastime.

The musical instruments which appear distinctly on the Sassanian sculptures are the harp, the horn, the drum, and the flute or pipe.  The harp is triangular, and has seven strings; it is held in the lap, and played apparently by both hands.  The drum is of small size.  The horns and pipes are too rudely represented for their exact character to be apparent.  Concerted pieces seem to have been sometimes played by harpers only, of whom as many as ten or twelve joined in the execution.  Mixed bands were more numerous.  In one instance the number of performers amounts to twenty-six, of whom seven play the harp, an equal number the flute or pipe, three the horn, one the drum, while eight are too slightly rendered for their instruments to be recognized.  A portion of the musicians occupy an elevated orchestra, to which there is access by a flight of steps.