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Sasanian Stamp Seal with Fire Altar browse these categories for related items... All Items: Antiques: Regional Art: Ancient World: Near Eastern: Stone: Pre AD 1000: item # 586158
Janus Antiquities By Appointment New Jersey (330) 612-3957 Guest Book $120 |
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Long an opponent of the Roman and Byzantine empires, the Sasanian empire (AD 224-642) was the last independent Persian monarchy before the Arab conquest of Western Asia in the 7th Century AD. The Sasanian Dynasty began with a regional ruler in the province of Fars in southwest Iran, whose empire eventually stretched from India to the Black Sea after defeating the last of the Parthian emperors. The state religion was Zoroastrianism and many seals bear testament to the importance of this faith in their art.
This seal is carved in milky white chalcedony. The base features a carving of a flaming altar, an important image in the Zoroastrian faith. According to Zoroastrianism, fire is the primary element of the deity Asha Vahishta, the cosmic order, who controls the material world and represents the moral standards by which mortals are judged. For similar, see the online collection, Sasanian Seals from the Collection of the Late Edward Gans, at UC Berkeley, #60.01-60.03: http://ecai.berkeley.edu/sasanianweb/docs/sasanianseals.html AGE: 400-642 A.D. CONDITION: Intact and nice. DIMENSIONS: 2.0 cm long |
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