A Note on Sasanian Glassware and Zoroastrian Sacred Numbers (Sasanian to Post-Sasanian Periods)

The Sasanian Empire was one of the most important periods in ancient Iran and one that experienced flourishing of the Zoroastrian religion. As the official religion in the Sasanian to post-Sasanian period, Zoroastrianism can be understood better by studying evidence of the religion’s impact on artifacts such as glassware, coins, silver vessels, pottery, and textiles. This paper shows the importance of “Zoroastrian sacred numbers” on glass fabrication and its impact on a specific type of glassware. Based on his assumption that glassware designs reflect the beliefs of artisans, the author focuses on the number of the facets on the related glassware. To test this hypothesis, the Sasanian glassware is compared to other concomitant objects such as royal necklaces and flower petals used in the Zoroastrian Pahlavi manuscripts. This religion-inspired decorative technique continued into the Early Islamic period, during which Shiism strongly preserved the Zoroastrian legacy in glassware.