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Near Eastern Art :
Sassanian Bullae : Sassanian Clay Bullae
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Sassanian Clay Bullae - CB.3052
Origin: Central Asia
Circa: 200
BC
to 600
AD
Collection: Near Eastern
Style: Sassanian
Medium: Clay
£5,000.00
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important historical documents in that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.3052)
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