Rodag

Rodag or Rodak (Middle Persian: Rōdak, New Persian: رودک) was a 3rd-century Sasanian noblewoman, the wife of Pabag and the mother of Ardashir I , the founder of the Sasanian Empire. She is mentioned in the inscription of Shapur I on the wall of the Ka'ba-ye Zartosht at Naqsh-e Rostam near Persepolis in southern Iran as “Mother of the King of Kings”.

She was an Iranian woman who lived during the start of the Sasanian period. She played a significant and direct role in the formation of the Sasanian dynasty. Her husband, Pāpak, was a leader at the Anahita temple in Istakhr. By her old age, she was able to attend her son’s coronation ceremony.