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Oct 10 40 tweets 25 min read
Agriculture in Ancient Iran: Just so not all the news is sad. ❤️🔥

Based on a few years of research to find visual & primary sources. |

اینو مینویسم که یک گوشه دیگه از تاریخمون رو بهتر بشناسیم: کشاورزی در ایران باستان.

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Major cereal-related episodes in Iran's history

Also See: The cultivation and domestication of wheat
and barley in Iran, brief review of a long history, 2021

درآمدی بر آبیاری و کشاورزی در پارس باستان.

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Two bulls with a plough/plow, Marlik, Iran, 2-1 Mill BCE

دو پیکرک و خیش, مارلیک

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My focus here will be on visual and a few primary sources related to agriculture. See Iranica articles on agriculture generally.

Some visual reps I focus on are the plough & the sickle for example. Of course not unique to ancient Iran.

Cart Wheel, Choghazanbil

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Though not directly on point, wheels, to state the obvious, also had numerous uses in the ancient world including one can assume in agriculture.

Ploughing Scenes: 1: Tepe Golestan
2: Babylonian Seal impression. 14thC BCE, found in Susa

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Bactrian Cup, @mihomuseum

See photo 4 for ploughing scene

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Achaemenid seal impressions & drawings with ploughing scenes

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Actual #Achaemenid seal with ploughing /plowing scene

مهر هخامنشی با تصویر کشاورز, گاوهای زراعت (ورزا ) و خیش.

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Seal 1: "a team of humped bulls pulls a plow toward the right; ahead of them a man sows broadcast from an open sack of seed at his waist"

Achaemenid era.

3: Achaemenid satrapy coins

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Possible #Sasanian era seals with ploughing scenes

1: Saeedi Collection
2: private collection

#مهسا_امینی
#Mahsa_Amini

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As part of agriculture, scenes with farm animals from Scythians

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Grape harvest & similar scenes, Sasanian era

#مهسا_امینی

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Olive press base from the surface of Qalatga Darband, Parthian era

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Water management in a place like Iran where large parts of the country are dry and without water is of course essential for farming

For thousands of years, Iranians devised surface-level & underground channels, canals, etc. for water management

Photos: Pasargadae

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This is also related to gardens & gardening in ancient Iran which is another big part of Iranian culture.

One big part of water management was the qanat = karez = underground aqueduct system

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Photos of qanats in Iran. There are thousands of these around Iran. Some are still used to this day.

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Mention of MP word for qanat (kahas) in primary sources. As well as mention of gardens and vineyards

2: Tang-e Khošk

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Waterways and canals in construction of 2 cities as examples: Istakhr and Takhte Rostam

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Persian Asbads or windmills

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Of course we can't forget the masterpiece of water management in Sasanian Shushtar as an example

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Shushtar, #Sasanian era

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Shushtar, #Sasanian era

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Shushtar, Sasanian era

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Old Persian & Elamite primary sources (examples), among many others

1: contract for the delivery of barley, PTS
2: contract for the delivery of dates, PTS

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Contract for the rental of labour to dig a canal, @MuseeLouvre

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Contract for the sale of oxen, @britishmuseum

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1: promissory note for barley
2: Record of purchase of a field

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1-2: Aramaic record from Bactria, Achaemenid era: ... "Also the corn and the sesame, (for) sowing as seed, which Bagavant is under duty to bring in to the <granary> building of my lord..."

3: Grain-related documents: a) Elamite, commercial contract paid by barley and silver

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Achaemenid era:

1: A military land grant in Egypt: "... I ploughed the field but did not receive/take from them"

2: Work on canals: Babylonian tablet: "6 spades, 4 sickles were brought ... and 10 sickles to Bel-silim (who are) at the sluice canal of the Cyrus River Canal."

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Parthian era: Avroman Parchment III

"In the year 300 (=53 CE) in the month of Arwatat, Pataspak son of Tirin, who [comes] from Bod, sold half the vineyard of Asmak, which is by the ploughfields..."

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A Collection of #sickles from millennia in ancient Iran

1-2: Susa, @MuseeLouvre , among many other examples at Louvre

#مهسا_امینی
#Mahsa_Amini‌

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More sickles

2: Elamite, Susa
3: Elamite
4: Sialk, @ Louvre

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More sickles from ancient Iran

1-2: Sialk, @ Louvre

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Sickles from Chogha Mish, Iran

2: @UChicago

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Grains harvesting and preparing tools:

a. Stone sickle blades, Tappeh Sang-e Chakhmaq, 6500
5300 BCE

b. Ceramic sickle, Chogha Mish, 3500-3100 BCE

c Stone grinder, Aq Tappeh (Gorgan, North
Alborz, Iran), 5200 4800 BCE

d. Bronze sickle, ancient Lorestan

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Sickles from ancient Iran

1: sickle haft of Tappeh Sang-e Chakhmaq
2: Hasanlu

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Sasanian era sickles, plough:

1: @metmuseum

2: Excavated @ Tol-e Qaleh Seyfābād: metal objects including C. Iron #plough
D. Iron axe
E. Iron object resembling #sickle
F. Copper-alloy ladle.

#مهسا_امینی
Sickles do not have a connection with death in Iran as in parts of western world

My own association for the Persian word is from my time in north of Iran, when I heard in a specific dialect of that region they called the new moon - داس مه = moon sickle...

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Not sure how right or accurate that is, but Hafez also has a beautiful poem where he uses this image

⤵️ https://ganjoor.net/hafez/ghazal/sh407  https://museum.ganjo
مزرع سبز فلک دیدم و داس مه نو
یادم از کشته خویش آمد و هنگام درو
گفتم ای بخت بخفتیدی و خورشید دمید
گفت با این همه از سابقه نومید مشو...
آتش زهد و ریا خرمن دین خواهد سوخت
حافظ این خرقه پشمینه بینداز و برو

In hopes of a brighter tomorrow, of peace, freedom, love ❤️🔥 https://www.instagram.com/p/B_Z6aG3HvIs/

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More from @On_Persia

Oct 6
A question arose re headwear of ancient Iranians. So I will try to provide a clear answer:

Ancient Iranian beliefs provided that the elements should not be polluted. That includes earth & fire

There were 2 general ways to achieve this: 1) Kyrbasia; 2) Padām (MP) = Padan

⤵️ Part of Greek figure depict...Sogdian Ossuary, depicting ...
1) Kyrbasia: (Old Persian: *kurpāsa) was a type of headgear with additional fabric to cover the mouth or part of face

It is erroneously referred to as a Bashlyk, the Turkic word for a similar headwear

⤵️ Achaemenid DascyliumImage
It appears in Achaemenid era and close to that time, the Kyrbasia was preferred, or at least we see it in surviving depictions.

Here we see the complete Iranian riding attire, @mihomuseum

⤵️ https://www.miho.jp/booth/h...
Read 16 tweets
Sep 18
When we want to recreate Sasanian military, armour, clothing... we need to consider new finds, lesser known sites & artefacts to really understand the evolution & use of various components

Let's say for example multiple friezes from Bishapur showing riders

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who appear to be in full gallop based on other depictions. We would need access for better photos of various smaller representations to do the best recreation

Here for example an archer from Chal Tarkhan, Iran

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That is my role. I go, dig and find the rarest pieces so others can use them in their artistic work. I like the research & investigation part

I also enjoy putting various disparate pieces together

Photo: rare coins of Kavad I (473 – 531) with better depiction of clothing

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Read 46 tweets
Sep 18
Stylized wings in Sasanian era most likely did not originate in "nomadic" cultures

1) Wings are not unique to any culture, nor are stylized wings. The wings did not need to originate from a distant culture

2) Simple stylistic comparison is not enough. Someone who wants to...
comment on a culture, or on an era like Sasanian, Achaemenid etc. in Iranian history, needs to also consider other aspects of Iranian culture, what "stylized wings" meant in ancient Iran and why they were used.

The meaning of Farr/ divine glory, is unique to Iranian
culture and a deeply rooted concept in Sasanian era

3) We have numerous examples of Sasanian kings referring to the past and interacting with Achaemenid past, be it in adding inscriptions to places like Kaabe Zardosht, Persepolis, even reusing parts of Achaemenid architecture
Read 5 tweets
Sep 10
24 #Iranian motifs & designs used for centuries from China to Rome: Part 2 |

۲۴ طرح و نقش ایرانی که از چین تا روم برای چند صد سال استفاده میشده: بخش دوم |

Talked about 10 motifs before. The rest fall in category of animals & plants, besides geometric patterns

🧵⤵️ Image
11) Boars: widespread among Iranian groups. It's likely where Zoroastrianism or more generally Iranian religions have been practiced, that at least boar heads could be symbols of deity Verethragna (Bahram: بهرام):

Previous thread on first 10 motifs:


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It's remarkable that at least 2, if not more Iranian motifs of deities have spread so widely across Eurasia.

For example bird holding a pearl necklace with 3 pearls could be related to Farr/Khvarenah as a concept or deity as well...

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Achaemenid eraAchaemenid, Georgia ImageFrom ancient Luristan, a seal
Read 70 tweets
Sep 3
8 Sasanian-style textiles with royal themes

هشت نمونه از منسوجات سبک ساسانی با بن‌ مایه شاهانه

First one: Peacocks, Silk, Iranian, from Aachen Cathedral treasure, Germany: this one isn't exactly "royal" in style, I just love the design!

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2: The famous design: 5-6 C, from Egypt, clear Sasanian design though possibly local production.

At least 2 surviving pieces: @ Musée des Tissus, Lyon &
@MuseeLouvre (2-3), possibly showing King Khosrau II fighting Ethiopian forces in Yemen

⤵️ https://collections.louvre.fr/ark:/53355/cl010045629
The surviving piece @MuseeLouvre has a very Sasanian-looking soldier doing a Parthian shot! Can't get more Iranian and Sasanian than that!

Also see: iranicaonline.org/articles/sasan…

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Read 10 tweets
Sep 2
Against the wrong view there are no #Sasanian #silk including samite textiles, here are 8 examples!

هشت نمونه از منسوجات ابریشمی از دوره ساسانی

1: The David Collection, 650-750, Inv. no. 9/1996

⤵️ https://www.davidmus.dk/en/collections/islamic/materials/tex
Possibly just slightly post-Islamic, though the motif did not reach Arabs from Mars! It existed in Iran for centuries! From Iran or Iraq, "Samitum-woven textile with confronted birds in medallions, silk"

2: 6th–7th C, @metmuseum, Accession Number: 2000.624.1

⤵️ https://www.metmuseum.org/art/collection/search/328829?ft=sa
Note the motifs on these examples. These should not be called "Central Asian"... whatever that means!

At the very least, these should be called Iranian, or Sasanian-Sogdian

3: Textile Medallion: 6C, Attributed to Iraq or Syria, @metmuseum , Accession #: 90.5.10

⤵️ https://www.metmuseum.org/art/collection/search/443591?ft=sa
Read 21 tweets

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