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Ruins of a fire temple dating back to the Sassanid era have recently been discovered during a series of archaeological excavations in the Vigol region near Kashan in central Iran. The discovery was made during the latest season of excavations, which are being carried out by a team of archaeologists led by Mohsen Javeri and began in mid-June, the Cultural Heritage, Tourism and Handicrafts Organization announced in a press release on Monday. The cruciform temple has four entrances leading to the ruins of a fireplace embellished with unique stucco designs, Javeri said. The team has also unearthed pieces of ornate...

Scores of Sassanid seals discovered at Takht-e Soleiman Tehran Times Culture Desk TEHRAN -- A team of archaeologists recently unearthed over 1300 clay seals in a storage room at the Sassanid site of Takht-e Soleiman in West Azarbaijan Province, the Persian service of the Cultural Heritage News (CHN) agency reported on Sunday. “The seals will shed light on the administrative, legal, trade, and economic systems of the Sassanid dynasty,” the director of the archaeological team, Yusef Moradi, said. “In addition, the seals will be helpful in the identification of Sassanid era cities, most of which are still unidentified, because the...

TEHRAN (MNA) -- During the latest season of excavations of the northern gate of Takht-e Suleiman, an ancient Zoroastrian fire temple located in northwestern Iran, the stamps of two seals were discovered which indicate that objects entered Takht-e Suleiman from other regions with special tags attached to them which seem to be advertisements. They signify that an early form of advertising was being practiced during the Sassanid era (224-642 C.E.), Yusef Moradi, the head of the excavation team, said on Friday. “The team began its excavations in early August and found the stamps of two seals at the upper levels...

Remote Villagers Speak in Sassanid Language After 2,000 Years July 10, 2004 Following the recognition of 903 Sassanid words in the language of Maymand residents, experts have concluded the language of these people has barely changed since 2,000 years ago, mainly because of the isolation of their helmet after the Arab invasion in the seventh century. Experts working with the renovation project of the village have managed to recognize and categorize these words after conversing with the secluded people. “Some of these words are purely Persian and free of Arabic influences,” said Farhnaz Firozehchian, linguist in charge of the word...

Persian Coins from Sassanid Era Discovered on Swedish Island BERLIN -- Archaeologists discovered 23 old Persian coins from the Sassanid era on the southeastern Swedish island of Gotland, the press reported here Friday. The latest find, regarded as the biggest archaeological sensation of the century(sic), contained Persian and Byzantine coins in a Viking treasure box which was hidden on the island. The oldest Persian coin in the Viking treasure goes back to 538 A.D. and was specially designed for a king of the Sassanid empire. The discovery is vivid proof that Vikings did sail as far as the Middle East...