Sasanian

The demonstration of female figures on Sasanian silver vessels was an interesting subject to Sasanian silversmiths which caused much dispute among the scholars over whose character the female figure represents. Are they representations of the goddess Anahita or members of her cult? Is there any connection between them and the cult of Asiatic Dionysus? The other question that arises is whether they are secular objects or bearing a religious significance. This paper aims to review previous studies and then, on the basis of an iconographical study and also referring to the Sasanian religious text, present a new interpretation of themes.

The first season of survey at Qeshm, carried out during the winter of 2006, resulted in the identification of nine sites from the Parthian and Sasanian periods. The surface pottery from these sites suggests their trade and cultural relations with contemporary sites in the southern Persian Gulf and other areas. For instance, the Parthian and Sasanian glazed types in Qeshm Island are closely related materials found from Khuzestan as well as northern and southern coasts of the Persian Gulf, including ed-Dur, Suhar, Kush, Failaka and Qalat Bahrain. Parthian painted ware reveals close similarities to monochrome and bichrome painted pottery of southeastern Iran, Oman coasts and the southern Persian Gulf, specifically ed-Dur, Suhar, Kush and Tel-i-Abrak. The so-called Indian Red Polished Ware is the other diagnostic type widespread in the northern and southern coasts of the Persian Gulf from the middle Parthian up to the early Islamic period. The material was being widely produced in the Indian region (Gujarat) and Indus, and exported to different places around the Persian Gulf. The Coarse Black Ware (ceramic noir epaise) with decorative raised bands recorded in Qeshm compares with coarse-black material from the southern Persian Gulf, also occurring at sites such as ed-Dur and Abu Dhabi Islands. Plain, common Parthian and Sasanian pottery from Qeshm shows parallels with known materials of this period in the northern and southern Persian Gulf.

Archaeology of children and childhood is rather a new field of study within archaeology and anthropology. However, it is very difficult to trace the presence of children in archaeological material. Their manifestation is mainly limited to mortuary, artefacts or objects considered to be toys or built environment that too may have been either in connection with specific items used by or were in relation to children or iconographic evidence from past. The present study tries to examine depictions of children in Sasanian rock reliefs which have long been the subject of extensive research, nevertheless it seems such depiction on art objects was not a matter of attraction by itself. On the other hand, lack of coherent literary evidence about social status, roles and realm of children and childhood in the Sasanian society leave many questions unanswered. Hence, despite a large number of researches in the field of Sasanian history and archaeology, one cannot postulate a coherent research background specific to the aforementioned subject. Children are displayed in a number of Sasanian rock reliefs which are introduced and presented in chronological order. Identity of these children and purpose of their depiction is discussed based on available works. Although, the historical identity of these children may never be certainly established, but those shown in investiture and parade reliefs of Ardashir I, Shapur I and Narseh at Firuzabad, Naqsh-e Rajab and Naqsh-e Rustam are certainly the children of high status or having royal lineage. In two of Shapur I reliefs, a putto is depicted and a probably captive child –enemy’s son- are seen in Bahram II/Shapur II relief in Tang-e Chowgan.

The artistic background of the Good Shepherd motif can be traced to ancient eras of the East and the West. This motif later gained prominence in early Christian art. The ram-bearer (carrying a sacrificial or an offering animal) first appeared in Near Eastern art and later became an important motif in Greco-Roman art to represent certain roles of the god Hermes. This motif was considered by Christian converts as a symbol of Jesus Christ, as they represented him in the figure of a young shepherd caring for his flock. This theme can also be seen on some Sasanian seals, which can be considered as the Good Shepherd motif. In this article, the authors introduce the aforementioned motif depicted on these seals and examine their possible connection with the Christian communities. The motif of the Good Shepherd, as seen on the seals, demonstrates modifications in the original iconography. These changes can be observed in the longer dress of the ram-bearer or the engraving of celestial symbols. These modifications are probably a sign of the localization process of an imported motif in the Sasanian Empire.

The Liār-Sang-Bon cemetery is located in Amlash City in Gilan province. During the field research, more than 100  pit graves, catacombs, and jar burials were identified at the cemetery. Some of these graves contained various types of ornaments. The questions which are raised in the current research are as follows: Considering the comparison of the ornaments of the Liār-Sang-Bon cemetery with similar sites, what time frame can be suggested for these data? Based on the discovered decorations, what exchanges did this area have with the surrounding areas? What is the relationship between the use of jewellery and the gender of the deceased in the tombs of Liār-Sang-Bon? It is suggested that the typology and classification of cultural finds obtained from this site and their comparison with other Iranian cultural sites, especially from the first century BC to the fourth century AD, can help us in dating the graves. 

Symbolically , Fars appears to have been the most important province of the Sasanian empire between the third and seventh centuries AD. The survival of the Zoroastrianism and it’s vigour in Fars after the Arab Muslim Conquest in attested by various accounts of Muslim historicans and geographers . Further , the redaction of many of the middle Persian text in the early. Islamic centuries in the province attests of the strength of Zoroastrianism In this essay attempts to delineate the changes that took place in the administrative geography and the administration of the province of Fars in the late Sasanian/early Islamic period.

An archaeological survey was conducted in 2004-2005 in the middle of Mianab Shushtar in Khuzestan, followed by an excavation there in 2005-2006, which led to the discovery of a Sasanian palace as well as valuable stuccoes at two other locations, namely the JilJilak Tepe and behind a Gas Station on the Shushtar-Ahwaz Road. In this article, the discovered stuccoes have been examined, which indicates that the Jiljilak stuccoes can be divided into three categories based on their features and application: a) geometric patterns, b) plant patterns, and c) animal patterns. Comparing these stuccoes with those found elsewhere such as Kuh-e Khwaja, Bīshāpūr, and Bandian in Dargaz shows that they can be attributed to the Parthian-Sasanian period. 

This paper tries to survey the use of geometric patterns in stucco decorations as an important identity and cultural element in the Sasanian era building designs. Seven frieze patterns were used in order to understand the practical geometry in Sasanian stucco. The studied stuccoes were found during archaeological excavations conducted between 2015 and 2017 at e Jahangir Dome and Guriye Stuccos in Eivan, Ilam province. In this article, the discovered stuccoes have been examined, results of which indicate that stuccoes can be divided into three categories based on their features and applications: geometric patterns, vegetal patterns, and animal patterns. Comparing these stuccoes with those found elsewhere such as Qale Yazdegerd, and Ctesiphon shows that the buildings of Jahangir Dome and Guriye were noble houses in the Sasanian period, with their vegetal motifs and mythological animals being e formed under the influence of religious and ritual elements. The survey of motifs on the base with seven frieze patterns shows artists’ adherence to the principle of symmetry and repetition.