Study a collection of Sasanian clay bullae in the National Museum of Iran, returned from the United States of America

This paper presents initial research on 73 Sasanian clay bullae housed at the National Museum of Iran. These bullae were returned to Iran from the United States on May 19, 2015. The survey conducted by the author indicates that this collection includes 13 administrative and 60 personal clay bullae, which bear nearly 244 seal impressions. Among these, 231 seal impressions are personal, and 13 impressions are administrative. The magūh of Gūhgand kust-i-(…?) Gurgān administration appears on 11 of the 13 administrative bullae. The other two administrative bullae bear the seal impressions of the Amārgār of Sakestān and the Amārgār of “Ēran-abzūd-H̠usraw and Nisīnā and Arwāyestān and Arzōn”. In addition, two bullae bear the seal impressions of Čihr-burzēn, Ēran-sepāhbed Xwarāsān (east), and one bears the seal impressions of Wēh-šābuhr, Ēran-sepāhbed of Nimroz (south). Moreover, five clay bullae bear the seal impressions of Dād-burz-mihr, Parthian Aspbed (chief of the cavalry), five clay bullae have the seal impressions of Wēh-šābuhr, Persian Aspbed, and many others belong to known personal names or unknown figures or individuals involved in the Sasanian administrative and sealing system. However, a vast majority of the impressions have no personal names or epigraphic impressions. Given the high degree of similarity between the seal impressions in this collection and those in Ahmad Saeedi’s collection, which were previously studied and published by Rika Gyselen, it is highly probable that these 73 clay bullae were originally a part of Saeedi’s collection and were similar examples that may have been sold by this collection