During his reign, many historical annals were compiled, of which the sole survivor is the Karnamak-i Artaxshir-i Papakan (Deeds of Ardashir), a mixture of history and romance that served as the basis of the Iranian national epic, the Shahnameh.
I hans regeringstid blev mange historiske værker samlet, men den eneste tilbageblevne er Karnamak-i Artaxshir-i Papakan (Ardashirs gerninger), som er en blanding af historie og eventyr, der tjente som grundlag for det iranske nationalepos, Shahnama.