Iconographic and Linguistic Interpretations of the Sasanian Clay Bullae in the Framji Dadabhoy Alpaiwalla Museum, Mumbai

Dados Bibliográficos

ID5918917
AutoresYousef Moradi (0000-0002-6555-3146, SOAS University of London, autor correspondente), Almut Hintze (0000-0002-0913-6137, SOAS University of London)
Ano2025
Volume16
Fascículo11
Páginas1359
Data de publicação2025-10-28
Peer ReviewedSim
Open AccessSim
TipoARTICLE
PeriódicoReligions (JOURNAL)
Identificadores do periódicoISSN: 2077-1444 • E-ISSN: 2077-1444
EditoraMDPI AG (PUBLISHER • IT)
DOI10.3390/rel16111359
OpenAlexW4415610345
IdiomaEN
Referências citadas13

This article presents the first comprehensive study of six unprovenanced Sasanian clay bullae from Iran, held at the Framji Dadabhoy Alpaiwalla Museum in Mumbai. Bearing impressions from personal, official, and administrative seals, the seal impressions are here analysed for their iconography, stylistic characteristics, and Middle Persian inscriptions. The study proposes a chronological framework for the seals that produced their impressions on the bullae and situates the visual motifs within broader Sasanian artistic and symbolic traditions. It explains how these seal impressions reflect the intersection of visual culture, administrative function, and personal identity in Sasanian society, highlighting the complexity of interpreting sigillographic material where artistic convention and institutional roles converge. The inscriptions have been deciphered and enhance our knowledge of administrative practices in the Sasanian Empire. In particular, the study revisits the much debated term ⟨mgwh⟩ within the context of Sasanian administrative epigraphy

Convention · Persian · Byzantine Studies and History · Eurasian Exchange Networks · Indian and Buddhist Studies