Ancient cylinder seals and more
Sasanian Seals
The Sasanian or Sassanid Empire, and also referred to by historians as the Neo-Persian Empire, was the last Iranian empire before the Muslim conquests of the 7th-8th centuries AD. Named after the House of Sasan, it endured for over four centuries, from 224 to 651 AD, making it the longest-lived Persian imperial dynasty. The Sasanian Empire succeeded the Parthian Empire and re-established the Persians as a major power in late antiquity.
During this period a very distinctive style of stamp seal was developed and became dominant in the region. It was a rounded dome shape with a flat surface at the bottom, engraved with small relatively simple motifs. Most had a drill hole from side to side for suspension purposes.
A variety of stones were used for these seals including carnelian, hemitite, rock crystal and agate. The collection contains a small but representative group of these small but very distinctive seals.
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Round, highly polished red stone Sassanian stamp seal with Pegasus, 224-661 AD. The Sassanian empire was the last Persian empire before the rise of Islam and developed a rich and artistic seal tradition. This hemispheric seal measures 16 mm in diameter.
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Hemispheric Sassanian stamp seal in highly-polished dark green Jaspis, 224-661 AD, with a winged and man-headed Bull. This seal measures 12 mm. in diameter.
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A Sassanian dome shaped stamp seal in red/orange carnelian featuring a stylized figure. This seal measures 15 mm across at the base and is pierced for suspension.
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A Sassanian domed stamp seal in dark red carnelian with the image of a tree. This seal measures 20 mm across at the base and is pierced for suspension. It dates from the 2nd to the 6th Centuries AD.
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A highly polished bright red carnelian domed Sassanian stamp seal featuring a stylized image of a standing warrior. It dated from the 2nd to the 6th Centuries AD, measures 18 mm across at the base and is pierced for suspension.
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Sassanian domed red carnelian stamp seal featuring a stylized male head. This seal measures 14 mm. across at the base, is pierced for suspension and dated from the 2nd to the 6th Century AD.
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Sassanian red carnelian domed stamp seal featuring stylized crossed hands. This small seal measures 10 mm. across the base, dated from the 2nd to the 6th Century AD and is pierced for suspension.
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Sassanian domed stamp seal in mottled red carnelian featuring the image of a bird. This seal measures 11 mm. across at the base, is pierced for suspension and dates from the 2nd to the 6th Century AD.
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Black polished hematite Sassanian stamp seal carved with the figure of a pouncing lion. Carved in the domed shape popular in this era, this seal dates from 224-651 AD and has a drill hole through the side for suspension. It measures 18 mm x 12 mm on the face and 16 mm in height.
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Red carnelian domed Sassanian stamp seal engraved with the image of a standing dog. Circa 224-651 AD, this seal is pierced through the side to allow for suspension and measures 14 mm in diameter and 10 mm in height.
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Banded agate domed Sassanian stamp seal engraved with the image of a humpbacked standing bull with large sharp horns. Circa 224-651 AD, this seal is pierced through the side to allow for suspension and measures 15 mm in diameter and 12 mm in height.
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Rock crystal domed Sassanian stamp seal engraved with the image of a prancing horse. Circa 224-651 AD, this seal is pierced through the side to allow for suspension and measures 19 mm in diameter and 15 mm in height.