Lamentation scene, page from a Shahnama of Firdausi

Death and mourning play a significant role in the Shahnama (the Book of Kings, an epic poem written by the Persian poet Firdawsi around 1000 AD), and images related to these themes occur frequently in illustrated versions of the epic. In some cases, the representations are generic, with figures making stock gestures to express their mourning. Such is the case in this representation of Talhand's mother mourning the death of her son. She and the women of her court tear their hair and rend their garments as they hear of Talhand's death. The males in the image act in a more reserved manner, although their pain is evident. Death in the Shahnama is prevalent in the numerous battle scenes and the life and death struggles that occur so frequently on the pages of Shahnama manuscripts. However, these death scenes have a moral and even spiritual component, emphasizing the role of destiny and the concept of justice as they relate to the deaths of heroes and villains alike.