Smallest Sasanian Bird Motif Discovered in Southern Iran

Discovery of the Smallest Sasanian Bird Motif

In 2026, archaeologist Abolhasan Atabaki discovered the smallest Sasanian bird motif, measuring 3×2 cm, on the rocks of Marvdasht Plain in Fars Province, Iran. The engraving, executed in a pecked or incised technique, sits beside a late Sasanian Pahlavi inscription.

Technical and Symbolic Details

The bird is rendered with narrow, shallow grooves, its outline defined by a pointed tool. Atabaki notes that in Sasanian art, birds symbolised message‑bearing, auspiciousness, and the link between earth and sky, and that the image likely relates to concepts of soul salvation referenced in the adjacent inscription.

Continuity in Later Art

He added that this visual tradition survived the fall of the Sasanian Empire, evolving during the Islamic period and reaching a high point in Persian miniature painting during the Ilkhanid, Timurid and Safavid eras. Birds perched on branches became recurring motifs that enhanced the poetic and spiritual atmosphere of the works.

Historical Interpretation

Historian Najmeh Ebrahimi, who also examined the engraving, explained that the bird’s linear depiction and shallow cuts suggest a symbolic representation of the soul’s passage between the material and spiritual worlds. She noted that in Avesta and Middle‑Persian texts, birds often served as intermediaries or bearers of divine messages.

Geographic Significance

Marvdasht Plain’s proximity to major archaeological sites such as Persepolis, Naqsh‑e‑Rostam and Naqsh‑e‑Rajab underscores its long‑standing political and religious importance from the first millennium BC to the Sasanian period. The coexistence of the bird motif and the Pahlavi inscription exemplifies the interaction of image and text in late Sasanian art.

Research Outlook

Ebrahimi emphasized that a full publication and study-complete reading of the inscription and comparison with similar examples-could deepen understanding of bird symbolism and religious concepts in Sasanian culture. This discovery is a rare instance of image‑text interaction in late Sasanian art.

Conclusion

A comprehensive study of this motif and its inscription will help illuminate the role of bird symbolism and spiritual beliefs in Sasanian art and culture.