Layah Ziaii-Bigdeli

Researchers utilized non-invasive analytical techniques such as micro-X-ray fluorescence (µ-XRF) spectroscopy, micro-X-ray diffraction (µ-XRD), and micro-Raman spectroscopy to examine a silver oval bowl adorned with tigers and grapevines, believed to date back to the Sasanian period of Iran (third to seventh centuries CE). The bowl, currently housed in the Department of Ancient Near Eastern Art at the Metropolitan Museum of Art, underwent analysis aimed at identifying the composition of both the silver alloy and the niello used in its decoration. The primary objective of the study was to discern the alloy composition and the niello application technique employed by Sasanian metalworkers. The findings revealed that the bowl is crafted from a silver–copper alloy containing approximately 3 wt.% of copper. Additionally, the niello inlays were determined to consist solely of silver sulfide (acanthite). The composition of the niello closely resembles that of early Roman niello inlays, suggesting a possible technological connection with Romans in the Sasanian period.

This dissertation delves into the transformation of tableware from the Sasanian and early Islamic (3rd–10th century CE) periods, emphasizing their significance in shaping elite social bonds and cultural identities. I argue that Iranian elite cultural identity was the backbone of Sasanian political structure, whereby the elite’s adherence to socially-ingrained habits cemented relationships between networks of elites. Through an exploration of objects used in banquets, studied through the lenses of foodways and social archaeology, I reveal that the shapes of some vessels enforced a particular behavior surrounding their use and interpretation. This research encourages introspection on foodways and the role of culture in shaping individual and collective identity. This work along with my databases of diverse Sasanian and Early Islamic vessels which I have amassed since 2019, serves as the foundation for my upcoming monograph.

This thesis focuses on Nīshāpūr buff ware, one of the twelve types of Nishapur pottery (9th-10th century A.D.) excavated from the Nīshāpūr site from 1937-1940 and first identified and analyzed by Charles K. Wilkinson. Nīshāpūr buff ware features enigmatic images of birds, quadrupeds, and humans rendered in a unique combination of yellow, green, black, and sometimes red colors. While these vessels in museum collections, auction catalogues, and scholarly publications feature a variety of images and are plentiful, almost the entire corpus of these materials has no provenance and is heavily restored, consequently creating a challenge in extrapolating information. This thesis hopes to offer new insight into the history of the collection and postexcavation of Nīshāpūr figural buff ware in museums around the world through a comparative study of quantity, quality, and aesthetics that has great potential to heighten our understanding of the production of ceramics in that era. Furthermore, juxtaposing provenanced and unprovenanced Nīshāpūr figural buff ware could reveal issues concerning authenticity, such as the issues of fakes and forgeries as well as the role of heavy restoration in scholarly interpretation.

This thesis focuses on Nīshāpūr buff ware, one of the twelve types of Nishapur pottery (9th-10th century A.D.) excavated from the Nīshāpūr site from 1937-1940 and first identified and analyzed by Charles K. Wilkinson. Nīshāpūr buff ware features enigmatic images of birds, quadrupeds, and humans rendered in a unique combination of yellow, green, black, and sometimes red colors. While these vessels in museum collections, auction catalogues, and scholarly publications feature a variety of images and are plentiful, almost the entire corpus of these materials has no provenance and is heavily restored, consequently creating a challenge in extrapolating information. This thesis hopes to offer new insight into the history of the collection and postexcavation of Nīshāpūr figural buff ware in museums around the world through a comparative study of quantity, quality, and aesthetics that has great potential to heighten our understanding of the production of ceramics in that era. Furthermore, juxtaposing provenanced and unprovenanced Nīshāpūr figural buff ware could reveal issues concerning authenticity, such as the issues of fakes and forgeries as well as the role of heavy restoration in scholarly interpretation.

This paper focuses on cross-cultural and artistic interactions between Central/South Asia and Iran during the Sasanian period. Pervious scholarship on the subject has focused on and too often has assumed the unidirectionally of this exchange positing Sasanians as a purveyor of this cultural and artistic exchange. To further complicate the matter, Iranian studies has demonstrated a reluctance to expand into South Asian art prohibiting a dialogue between the two regions. These issues combined have created a narrative that restricts any possible visual transference from East to West. Clearly, during the Sasanian period many ‘Indian’ concepts traversed the Iranian plateau. I argue that Sasanian artistic and iconographic motifs not only reached across Asia but this movement of iconographic motifs was reciprocal in so far as particular ‘Indian’ elements, such as the tribhanga pose and the composition of Sasanian female dancers, refer to a complex exchange of ideas and cultural interactions.