While not as well-known as that of the Achaemenid dynasty (550–330 BC), the second Persian empire ruled by the Sasanian dynasty (AD 224–642) is a pivotal but often overlooked period of ancient Western Asian art and archaeological history. Standing at the cusp of the ancient and medieval worlds, the Sasanian empire was the last great Iranian empire to rule over Western Asia before the coming of Islam, extending at its height in the seventh century from the Nile to the Oxus. Over the course of late antiquity, Sasanian art, architecture, and court culture created a new dominant aristocratic common culture in western Eurasia, beguiling their Roman, South Asian, and Chinese contemporaries and deeply imprinting the later Islamic world.
This French archaeologist broke the law by wearing pants
Jane Dieulafoy wore men s clothes in the 1800s, but France looked the other way. She became a celebrity, renowned for discovering ancient Persian treasures.
By Arnaud Déroche, Raúl Sánchez
Published 18 Dec 2020, 20:56 GMT
Jane Dieulafoy defied a 100-year-old law when she donned trousers. It had been illegal for Parisian women to wear pants since November 1800. Historians believe the rule was a response to women’s demand for
“Liberté, Egalité, Fraternité” and the right to hold male jobs and wear male clothing. In the late 19th century, exceptions were granted for people engaged in bicycle riding or horseback riding. Jane Dieulafoy’s privilege of wearing pants all the time was uncommon, but her celebrity made her nonconformity more socially accepted. The law remained in place until 2013, when it was formally revoked by the French government.