What Secrets of Sasanian Life Do the Inscriptions at Marvdasht Reveal?

The discovery of a Late Sasanian funerary inscription north of the ancient city of Istakhr in the Marvdasht plain of Fars has provided researchers with new information on Zoroastrian burial practices and the role of dakhmas and astodans in the late Sasanian period.

The discovery of a burial inscription from the late Sassanid period in the north of the ancient city of Astakhr in the Maroodasht plain of Fars has provided researchers with new information about the Zoroastrian burial practices and the position of dakhmaks and studans at the end of the Sassanid period.

According to Ambassador Arjan, inscriptions of the Sassanid period are not only writings from the past; These works provide researchers with information about burial rituals, family relationships, and the method of registering the deceased. The newly discovered inscription is in a carved frame and is written in 5 lines in the margin of a book and is related to one of the Zoroastrian burials of this period.

Referring to the identification of numerous examples of these inscriptions, an archaeologist told Ambassador Arjan: "A significant part of the inscriptions belongs to people who were not kings and courtiers, and therefore it is effective in understanding the lesser-known dimensions of Sassanid society."

Abolhassan Najafzadeh Atabaki adds about the characteristics of the newly identified inscription in the ancient city of Ashtrak: "This inscription belongs to the late Sassanid period and is written in the Pahlavi script of a book; A line whose letters are connected to each other continuously. The writings usually do not belong to kings and courtiers, but they record the names and information of people who were ordinary people. Examining these inscriptions can help to know people who are less mentioned in official historical narratives.

Referring to the northern slope of the ancient city of Ashtrak, he says: "Many inscriptions related to the deceased have been identified in this area. These works are part of the archaeological evidence related to the ways of burial and remembrance of the dead in Zoroastrian society. One of the burial methods is the use of small containers called dakhmak, which have a depth of about 20 cm and the bones of the deceased were placed in it. Inscriptions often begin with a reference to the dahmek or burial place, followed by the name of the deceased and sometimes his family relationship. For example, a person's name may appear in the inscription along with his father's or mother's name. In some cases, the deceased person himself paid for the construction of the stand, and in other cases, the survivors considered such a stand for him. In some examples, writings by scribes have been added to the original text. Examining these writings along with archaeological evidence can give us a more detailed understanding of burial rituals in the Sassanid period.

Identification of 10 inscriptions in field surveys

Najafzadeh Atabaki, referring to the archaeological surveys conducted since 2010, says that during these surveys, 10 inscriptions have been identified in the studied mountain range and its surrounding areas to the northeast of the country, and the majority of these samples are related to dakhmaks and stodans.

The distribution of burial inscriptions in Iran

The researches show that an important part of the burial inscriptions known from the Sassanid period in Fars province, especially the Maroodasht plain, the slopes around the ancient city of Astakhr and the Naqsh Rostam area have been identified. Researchers say that having more than 50 Sassanid stone inscriptions, Marvdasht plain is considered one of the most important areas for knowing Zoroastrian works and burial methods during the Sassanid era. In addition to these areas, examples of Pahlavi inscriptions related to burials in other areas of Fars, such as those around Takht Jamshid, Semiram, and Kazeroon, have also been investigated in archaeological research.

These inscriptions, which are often written in Middle Persian and Pahlavi script, provide researchers with information about the names of the deceased, family relationships, the construction or funding of the burial site, and religious beliefs of that period. Despite the identification of numerous examples, it is still not possible to present a comprehensive and definitive list of all Sasanian burial inscriptions throughout Iran.