36 - A GROUP OF FIVE SASANIAN BANDED AGATE DOME STAMP SEALS (5)

A GROUP OF FIVE SASANIAN BANDED AGATE DOME STAMP SEALS (5) CIRCA 400-600 AD Each of dome form with a small suspension hole and plain exterior, the flat faces engraved in intaglio: four in translucent banded agate depicting Gayomard; a winged figure holding a diadem; a lion springing onto the neck of a humped bull, a pellet above; and two hinds standing to centre and looking back; the fifth in opaque brown 'goat-eye' banded agate depicting a kneeling ibex. Accompanied by moulds. Cf. Catalogue of the Western Asiatic Seals in the British Museum, Stamp Seals (1969), BF 9; BK 2-3; DJ 3; FF 3; FH 9. Size/dimensions: faces 1.12cm to 2.99cm x 1.00cm to 2.35cm; 1.30cm to 2.00cm overall Gross weight: 56.69g (total) The seals are offered in good to very good condition. While the seals display expected signs of antiquity, including small abrasions, surface pitting, and minor edge wear, they are entirely structurally sound and free from major fractures or damage. 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.