32 - A SASANIAN CARNELIAN DECORATED ELLIPSOID STAMP SEAL

A SASANIAN CARNELIAN DECORATED ELLIPSOID STAMP SEAL CIRCA 300-500 AD Of ellipsoid form with a large central suspension hole, the domed exterior carved with recessed roundels, the flat oval face engraved in intaglio with a humped bull (zebu) standing right, with a short Pahlavi inscription. Cf. Catalogue of the Western Asiatic Seals in the British Museum, Stamp Seals (1969), EM 5-6. Accompanied by a mould. Size/dimensions: face 1.72cm x 1.30cm; 2.20cm overall Gross weight: 4.82g The seal is offered in excellent condition with a very pleasing level of preservation. There are moderate signs of age as to be expected but the piece is stable wuth no structural fractures. Provenance From the contents of a private residence, Kent The Sasanian dynasty ruled Iran and much of the Near East from AD 224, when Ardashir I overthrew the last Parthian king, until the Arab conquests of the mid-seventh century. Seals were used at every level of Sasanian society: to authenticate documents, close containers and secure goods, and to mark the identity and rank of their owners. Thousands of clay sealings recovered from administrative sites show how widely they were used, and many seals were also worn as personal ornaments and valued as amulets. Most Sasanian seals were cut in hardstones such as carnelian, chalcedony, agate, jasper and rock crystal, and took two principal forms: the ellipsoid, pierced through its length and engraved on a flat oval face, and the dome, with a smaller flat base. The subjects form a rich repertoire. Animals dominate: the humped zebu bull, the lion, the boar, which was associated with Verethragna, the god of victory, the ibex, gazelle, horse and birds. Some scenes, such as a lion springing upon a bull, continue imagery known in Iran since the Achaemenid period. Alongside them appear portrait busts, mythological and religious figures such as Gay?mard, the first man of Zoroastrian tradition, and abstract devices that served as personal emblems. Many seals carry short inscriptions in Middle Persian (Pahlavi) script, naming the owner or expressing a pious wish.