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Near Eastern Art :
Near Eastern Art Collection/ HK : Clay Sassanian Bulla
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Clay Sassanian Bulla - CB.3047
Origin: Central Asia
Circa: 200
BC
to 600
AD
Collection: Near Eastern Art
Style: Sassanian
Medium: Clay
Additional Information: HK
£9,000.00
Location: Great Britain
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| Description |
As the last great Iranian dynasty
before the advent of Islam, the
Sasanian dynasty (224-642 AD) is
best remembered for its
distinctive cultural expressions
and the longevity of its rule. With
an immense territory stretching
from Transcaucasia to the Indus
valley, Sasanians engaged in
intense trade and exchange, of
which, sealstones and bullae are
an interesting reflection. Bullae
(from the latin Bulla-ae) are clay
or bitumen impression of seals
used as voucher that were usually
attached to documents or – in
fewer instances- parcels (or the
strings used to bound them) and
showed the identity of the author
or witness of the document , or
the owner of the merchandise.
The middle Persian word for bulla,
gil muhrag is known from an
Iranian loanword in Aramaic
Talmud, while a number of clay
bullae from the Sasanian era have
been discovered not only at
various Sasanian sites including
Takht-e Suleiman and qasr-e Abu
Nasr but also in Transoxiana,
bearing inscriptions in Sogdian.
Bullae are important historical
documents in that they provide
valuable information on Sasanian
onomastics, personal names,
government offices and religious
positions. Their wealth of
information is particular poignant,
when considering that relatively
little material evidence has so far
come to light from the Sasanian
period, besides the vestiges of
some architectural religious
complexes. Collections of bullae,
found in deposits are known to
have been indeed stored in
archives. The impressions of
Sasanian seals, preserved on clay
bullae suggest that the seals
functioned as validation of
documents as as guarantees of
exchanged goods and services
both in an administrative context
and in private society. Sasanian
bullae such as the one here
illustrated have a convex face and
a relatively flat back with,
sometimes, traces of perforations
or grooves left the strings that
attached the bulla to the sealed
object. Administrative bullae were
generally un-iconic and
exclusively epigraphic, giving the
names of administrative provinces
and the titles of offices such as
those of finance and justice, both
posts held by the Zoroastrian
clergy. On the other hand, those
bullae used for royals and
important functionaries generally
bear the owner’s bust
accompanied by an inscription
giving the name and title. Private
seals and impressions,
distinguished by a single motif
sometimes accompanied by an
inscription, provide a rich variety
of iconographic patterns, largely
reflecting the contemporary
cultural and religious traditions of
Iran, though only indirectly
explained by the inscriptions
accompany them. Sasanian bullae
of high quality or functional
importance usually bear
inscriptions, providing a proper
name, often followed by a
patronymic and occasionally with
a pious or auspicious phrase such
as ‘be generous’ or ‘trust in god’.
The glyptic scripts used for
palhavi, the middle Persian
language of the Sasanians, are
based on the lapidary script,
found on Sasanian reliefs of the
3rd century, and the cursive script
used in chancery and for
commercial activities. Other
scripts found on bullae include
Parthian, Sogdian, Aramaic, Syriac
and Arabic.
- (CB.3047)
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