نقش مايه زن بر روي مُهرهاي ايران از دوره پيش خطي تا پايان دوره ساساني

Studying the Female Motifs on the Persian Seals Pre-Elamit up to the Sasanian Period

This article discusses the female motifs on the seals and stamp seals of pre-Islamic world of Iran. The Use seals were a common practice in the ancient world and many different types of seals can be found across Iran. The use of female motifs was not a common type of style in the ancient times but there exist a few examples of this type. In this study we classify different kinds of seals. In addition, we shall compare the female figures used on the seals with the written texts as well as the information about the importance of the female policy in the ancient society of Iran. The results of the research confirm that in pre-Elamit and Elamit world women were important parts of daily life and possessed a significant role in social affairs. Although during the Acheamenid period women were engaged in special social affairs but their image is seen as the religious deities, represented in the form of the great queen. During the Sasanian period it seems that there exists a combination of the two previous trends. The female figure appears as a symbol of important deities such as Anahita who is again a queen. In this way the queen does not only appear as a representation of the Anahita but also as an important character in the great Kingdome of Sasanian dynasty. The queen is represented with or without the king. Sometimes she is represented with a little child; this type of representation is assumed to be holy Mary and may belong to the Christians living in Iran during that period. This is the period during which the women rights were clearly described not only in the religious texts but also in the Kingdome rights