A spread eagle has its head in profile facing the right and its
tail spread out to the left. Four dots appear at
various points as space fillers.
-
(D. 1570). Chalcedony. Globular stamp seal with two sides
slightly flattened, a transverse perforation, and a
nearly circular base. 15 x 13 x 11 mm.
A walking winged horse, with a moon-crescent appearing over the
rump and a six-pointed star under the head as
space fillers.
-
(D. 1571). Chalcedony. Globular stamp seal with two sides
flattened, a rather large transverse perforation, and a
nearly circular base. 28 x 21 x 24 mm.
A very conventional ibex-head, facing the right, is supported by
two outspread wings, the latter being a device
very characteristic of Sasanian seals.
-
(D. 1572). Hematite. Globular stamp seal with two sides
flattened, a transverse perforation, and an oval base.
The back is decorated with a deeply incised ornamental design
illustrated by H. H. von der Osten, op. cit. p. 4,
Fig. 2, No. 577. 17 x 14 x 13 mm.
A scorpion.
-
(D. 1573). Limonite. Globular stamp seal with two sides
slightly flattened, a large transverse perforation, and a
nearly circular base. The back is decorated like that of the
preceding seal. 14 x 13 x 13 mm.
The design may be a badly executed scorpion, with the tail turned
to the right rather than the left, but it is
more likely that it was intended to represent some species of
crab. Contrast the much superior representation of a
crab in P. Horn and G. Steindorff, Sassanidische Siegelsteine,
18gi, Pl. IV, No. 1510.
-
(D. 1574). Carnelian. Globular stamp seal with two sides
flattened, a large transverse perforation, and an oval
base. The back is decorated with a deeply incised ornamental
design illustrated by H. H. von der Osten, op. cit.
p. 4, Fig. 2, No. 608. 19 x 12 x 16 mm.
A human hand has the wrist tied with a ribbon floating out in two
wide streamers, one on each side.
-
(D. 1575). Chalcedony. Globular stamp seal with two sides
flattened, a transverse perforation, and an oval base.
The back is decorated like that of the preceding seal. 23 x 16 x
18 mm.
In the center is an ornamental or symbolic device, with an
eight-pointed star below it. On the border is a
Pahlavi inscription ending in a six-pointed star, representing
the sun, set within a crescent. The inscription reads
Batri zi Mitridan, "Batri, the son of Mitridan." The script and
the late form of Pahlavi indicate a late date for the
seal. Mitridan corresponds to Mihrdan in F. Justi, op. cit. p.
205a, and to Mitrden, ibid. p. 213b, but I can
discover no parallel to Batri, unless one were to take
, ibid. p. 56a, as one. Bait and
Bati, differing only slightly from Batri, appear rather often on
Sasanian seals.18
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