Introduction: In modern states, visual identity is a structured means of producing narratives, securing legitimacy, and shaping public recognition—not merely a collection of symbols. Official medals and decorations, though small and seemingly ceremonial, are integral to state rituals, commemorations, and institutional practices. They condense meaning, reinforce identity markers, and reiterate identity-based and mythic messages. In Iran, particularly during the Pahlavi period, these objects have largely been studied descriptively, with attention to their form, rarity, and collectible value; their role in shaping state visual identity and national identity has received less theoretical scrutiny. This study addresses that gap by examining Pahlavi-era medals and decorations as components of a state-directed visual identity system. It situates them within the regime’s effort to revive the ancient past—especially Achaemenid heritage—as a symbolic resource for legitimizing monarchy and modern governance.
Purpose & Research Question: This study therefore asks: How did Pahlavi-era medals and decorations, through the representation of ancient motifs and elements, become visual instruments of the state, and what role did they play in constructing and reinforcing national identity? The aim is to employ semiotic analysis to trace meaning production in these medals, from denotation to connotation and mythic signification.
Method: The study adopts a qualitative, descriptive–analytical methodology based on library, documentary, and archival sources. Its corpus consists of 120 Pahlavi-era medals and decorations selected for their use of ancient motifs. The analysis applies Roland Barthes’ three-level semiotic model: first, a denotative reading of form, figures, inscriptions, and iconographic elements; second, a connotative reading of the cultural and historical meanings associated with motifs such as the Immortal Guards, the Cyrus Cylinder, the lotus, Zoroastrian fire altars, and Persepolis architecture; and third, an identity-centered mythic reading of how these motifs circulated across state institutions and were naturalized as signs of dynastic continuity, civilizational legitimacy, and institutional stability.
Findings & Results: The findings demonstrate that Pahlavi medals and decorations, contrary to the widespread assumption that they are merely decorative or commemorative objects, formed an integral part of the state’s visual identity apparatus and operated as a coherent governmental visual language. By transforming ancient heritage into identity-based and mythic codes, these objects acted as active agents of state-sponsored identity construction. At the denotative level, these motifs provided recognizable visual references to the ancient past. At the connotative level, they activated cultural-historical meanings such as loyalty, purity, justice, divine favor, and institutional stability. At the mythic level, these meanings were organized into a broader narrative of historical continuity and political legitimacy and, through their repeated circulation across state institutions, were rendered self-evident and natural. Although the three levels are interdependent, the mythic level carried the greatest force in constructing the Pahlavi state’s visual identity and legitimizing its authority, with connotation serving as the mediating link between visible motifs and their mythic function. The analysis reveals a systematic and purposeful relationship between specific motifs and the institutions to which the medals were assigned. The figure of the Immortal Guards, when used in military decorations, encoded messages of defensive power and national security. The Cyrus Cylinder, appearing on commemorative medals, connoted legal–civilizational legitimacy and underpinned an idealized narrative of Iran as a cradle of law and humanity. The Zoroastrian fire altar, depending on context, moved between sacred antiquity and national–industrial development, symbolically mediating between a sanctified past and a modernizing nation. Persepolis-inspired architectural elements, deployed in academic and organizational insignia, communicated institutional endurance and structural stability. The juxtaposition of Cyrus’s profile with that of the contemporary shah, alongside the audience scene of Darius, constituted the most pronounced instances of myth-making: these motifs naturalized dynastic continuity and placed contemporary Pahlavi rule within a historically legitimized royal tradition. These targeted allocations show that medals functioned as minimal narrative units of governmental discourse. Through their circulation in official ceremonies, educational settings, bureaucratic spaces, and cultural events, they contributed to the construction of a state-centered visual identity that could be recognized and reiterated across diverse sectors. In Barthesian terms, myth-making transformed historically situated images into seemingly self-evident signs of national identity, dynastic continuity, and legitimate governance. In sum, the study concludes that Pahlavi medals and decorations should be understood as part of the symbolic technology of power in this period. By combining denotative representation, connotative meanings, and mythic naturalization, these medals and decorations became part of a system of visual identity and political legitimation. The representation of ancient motifs on these medals was not a merely aesthetic choice; it was a deliberate strategy for stabilizing political authority and constructing a national visual identity anchored in antiquity.