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[Makkal]

I'm rather sure you're putting more thought into this than CCP did.

Ardashir was the name of the founder of the  Sassanid empire. Someone likely plucked it from a book or web article on the Persian empire and smooshed it together with the name of his successor.

They probably weren't aware of how other possible spellings, and even if they were, they wouldn't stick Arđaxšahpūhrī in the game because no one would know how to pronounce it.

[Nicoletta Mithra]

True. Maybe they even didn't go as far as to pluck it out of a book, but just went for something cool-and-persian-sounding. Which ended up accidentally (or by cryptomnemesis) to be Ardishapur. vOv

Still, even if they took those two names from a history book, that doesn't indicate anything for the Amarrian religion, just as the 'fact' that the Name 'Sarum' stems from the name for the first settlement at Salisbury indicates not that Amarr are Anglicans (or roman catholics, which the people at Salisbury were at the time the Sarum Rite originated)... <,<

[Gaven Lok ri]

There are a lot of elements that make me think Sasanian elements in particular need to be added, Nicoletta.

Note, not that Amarr=Sasanians in space, but that we are neglecting the Sasanian elements in Amarr.

But I need time to make the case the right way, so give me a bit and I will do a post proper making the case point by point. Probably sometime this week.

[Creep]

I always thought the Amarr is what happens when you smush all the monotheistic religions into one, let it sit for a couple thousand years, and then unleash it into space.  Not just Zoroastrians and Catholics(which are both essentially 1 Deity vs 1 Demon religions), but also the entire, convoluted spectrum of the Judeo-Christian-Islamic faith, and all the smaller, less-well-known single-God religions.

Brazenly against the concept of the existence of other gods (Polytheists from around the world have a strange tendency to reluctantly accept the idea of the existence of other gods than simply those in their personal pantheon, but strongly believe their selection of Gods to be the strongest and most righteous), often to the point of militarism, they have a tendency to believe in the idea of divine selection over inherent spiritual power (Saints, Prophets, Chosen Ones, etc vs Ancestor Spirits, Wizard/Witchdoctors, Heroes, etc), and, of course, organize themselves into a deeply hierarchical religious system.
 
Now give them pseudo-Persian aesthetics and a lot of phallic architecture, and voilà! Amarr!

[Nicoletta Mithra]

Uh, Creep, I think your analysis of Monotheism versus Polytheism falls quite short in regard to real religions. Also, no, characterizing Zoroastrianism and Catholicism (which isn't a religion, but a confession of the Christian religion, really) as essentially the same is quite off:

Ahriman in Zoroastrianism is a force independent from Ahura Mazda and (roughly, depending on the variant of zoroastrianism) on an equal footing to the latter. The devil in roman-catholic Christianity is a force dependent on God and subsequently of lesser power. Achaemenid and Sassanid Zoroastrianism were also more Henotheistic than Monotheistic and in many regards not even monolatrous.

And, did I mention, there have been plenty of polytheistic systems that were steeped in hierachies, like chinese folk confucianism (can it get any more hierarchical?), the greek and roman polytheism (the office of pontifex maximus is stemming from roman, polytheistic times) and also polytheism of the Aztec people.

Gaven,

as to us neglecting Sassanid elements, it needs little convincing. That Sassanid elements need particular attention (say, rather than Persian elements in general) would need some convincing, though. That Sassanid Zoroastrianism is a good starting point to understand Amarr religion would need a lot of convincing, though, as the two are really quite far from one another in their very basic principles, imho. But please, take your time Gaven, I'm looking forward to you making your case.

[Esna Pitoojee]

Back towards the art end of things:

 1, that bit of artwork -appears- to be an actual 3D model, not merely a mapped-on skin. Having done a bit of 3D modelling in my time, all I can say is dayum - that must have taken time.

2, since this trend seems to be bringing back actual literal art into the newest Amarr hulls, I'll be curious to see if the new Apoc model pics up any.

[Samira Kernher]

Back towards the art end of things:

 1, that bit of artwork -appears- to be an actual 3D model, not merely a mapped-on skin. Having done a bit of 3D modelling in my time, all I can say is dayum - that must have taken time.

It's not. The model is flat. But like the other artwork, they use bump and specular maps to make it look 3D.

[Lyn Farel]

Yeah it would sound like a huge discrepancy to see so much wireframe details on such a tiny thing compared to the rest of the ship(s).

[Anslol]

This suggests to me that Amarr RP might want to play up light imagery a lot more...

[Gaven Lok ri]

Morwen made these awesome screens of the paladin and apocs imagery:

http://imgur.com/a/5AULS

Figure and the sun in all three, the Paladin seems to be a different relief than the other two.

[Gaven Lok ri]

And sleep deprived realization: The image on the Apocalypse is of someone receiving some sort of celestial body. It is on the Apocalypse class battleship, and the following is what little we have on the Amarr apocalypse:

"At the end of days when they descend
Watch for the coming of the Ark
For within it, salvation is carried"
- The Scriptures, Book II, Apocalypse 32:6

"Casting his sight on his realm, the Lord witnessed
The cascade of evil, the torrents of war.
Burning with wrath, He stepped
down from the Heavens
To judge the unworthy,
To redeem the pure."
- The Scriptures, Book II, Revelations 2:12

I don't really believe CCP is cool enough to have done this on purpose... but I am going to be RPing that the image on the Apocalypse is an image of the Apocalypse.

[Gaven Lok ri]

I am also thinking that specifically this concept in Persian religion is a very useful one for Amarr: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Khvarenah

[Karmilla Strife]

Apocalypse imagery looks like it could be an angel holding a fireball.

[Shaikar]

"And in this moment of terrible distress the skies opened with a loud shriek and angels, bright as the sun was black, descended down to earth and their beauty soothed all the people and the animals alike.
And when the angels touched the ground with their feet the earth shook violently and fire engulfed those daring too near the divinities. Their power being mighty and their presence potent the people were wise not to look too closely upon them.
The emperor came from his high seat with his retinue to meet with the angels outside the city walls. And lo and behold! The moment the emperor passed below the city gates the sun cleared and shone as brightly as ever before, all in the glory of the emperor and the heavenly angels that called upon him."
- Chapter I of the Epitoth


Also works.

[Gaven Lok ri]

Yep, heavenly intervention pretty consistently is a fire image.

I'd go with the Epitoth over the apocalypse stuff if it wasn't for the ship's name.