No Vol Digital Archive of Brief notes & Iran Review ISSN:

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1 Samuel Jordan Center for Persian Studies and Culture Digital Archive of Brief notes & Iran Review Vol.01 ISSN: No

2 xšnaoθrahe ahurahe mazdå Detail from above the entrance of Tehran s fire temple, 1286š/ Photo by Shervin Farridnejad

3 The Digital Archive of Brief Notes & Iran Review (DABIR) ISSN: Samuel Jordan Center for Persian Studies and Culture University of California, Irvine 1st Floor Humanities Gateway Irvine, CA Editor-in-Chief Touraj Daryaee (University of California, Irvine) Editors Parsa Daneshmand (Oxford University) Arash Zeini (Freie Universität Berlin) Shervin Farridnejad (Freie Universität Berlin) Judith A. Lerner (ISAW NYU) Book Review Editor Shervin Farridnejad (Freie Universität Berlin) Advisory Board Samra Azarnouche (École pratique des hautes études); Dominic P. Brookshaw (Oxford University); Matthew Canepa (University of Minnesota); Ashk Dahlén (Uppsala University); Peyvand Firouzeh (Cambridge University); Leonardo Gregoratti (Durham University); Frantz Grenet (Collège de France); Wouter F.M. Henkelman (École Pratique des Hautes Études); Rasoul Jafarian (Tehran University); Nasir al-ka abi (University of Kufa); Andromache Karanika (UC Irvine); Agnes Korn (Goethe Universität Frankfurt am Main); Lloyd Llewellyn-Jones (University of Edinburgh); Jason Mokhtarain (University of Indiana); Ali Mousavi (UC Irvine); Mahmoud Omidsalar (CSU Los Angeles); Antonio Panaino (University of Bologna); Alka Patel (UC Irvine); Richard Payne (University of Chicago); Khodadad Rezakhani (Princeton University); Vesta Sarkhosh Curtis (British Museum); M. Rahim Shayegan (UCLA); Rolf Strootman (Utrecht University); Giusto Traina (University of Paris-Sorbonne); Mohsen Zakeri (University of Göttingen) Logo design by Charles Li Layout and typesetting by Kourosh Beighpour

4 Contents Articles & Notes 1. Matteo Compareti: Nana and Tish in Sogdiana: The Adoption from Mesopotamia of a Divine Couple 2. Sajjad Alibaigi: Additional Remarks about the Function of the so-called Anahita Temple Monument in Kangavar, Kermanshah: A Clue to Solving an Old Problem 3. Daniel T. Potts: Between Myth and History: Susa and Memnon through the Ages 4. Nicholas Sims-Williams: Two Words in the Sogdian Version of the Antirrheticus of Evagrius Ponticus 5. Kiarash Gholami: On the Chronology and Coinage of Two Iranian Lords in the Umayyad Territories 6. Yazdan Safaee: A Local Revolt in Babylonia during the Reign of Darius III 7. Nina Mazhjoo: On Lincoln s Savior Mithras 8. Firoze M. Kotwal: A Historical Overview of the Parsi Settlement in Navsari 9. Antonio Panaino: The End of the Yasna between Philological and Theological Problems Reviews 1. Shervin Farridnejad: Mendoza Forrest, Satnam K Witches, Whores, and Sorcerers. The Concept of Evil in Early Iran. Foreword and other contributions by Prod Oktor Skjaervø. Austin: University of Texas Press,

5 Digital Archive of Brief notes & Iran Review Vol.01 No ISSN: Samuel Jordan Center for Persian Studies & Culture University of California, Irvine

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7 2017, Vol. 1, No. 4 ISSN: Samuel Jordan Center for Persian Studies and Culture, University of California, Irvine Additional Remarks about the Function of the So-called Anahita Temple Monument in Kangavar, Kermanshah: A Clue to Solving an Old Problem Sajjad Alibaigi Department of Archaeology, Razi University, Kermanshah, Iran 8 The great stone edifice alongside the Great Khorasan road and located at Kangavar, 90 km on the east of Kermanshah in western Iran, is now a well-known monument (Figs. 1-2). The frequent historical references, field studies and extensive archaeological excavations have all revealed significant aspects of this important site (See: Kleiss, 2010). However, there is no consensus among archeologists regarding the history and function of this structure 1. Seyfollah Kambakhsh Fard, the main archeologist who excavated the site, believed that the building was a Parthian temple (Anahita) and the cemetery containing coffin graves and pithos graves nearby its exterior wall was probably constructed in the site due to the temple s sacredness (See: Kambakhsh Fard: 2007a: 131). But contrary to Kambakhsh Fard s opinion, Masoud. Azarnoush, another excavator of the site, suggested that there is no relation between the cemetery and the monument which is prob- 1- M. Nikzad had collected all of the opinions and suggestions about this monument and presented them in a detailed paper (Nikzad, 2010).

8 Samuel Jordan Center for Persian Studies and Culture ably a Sassanian structure (Azarnoush, 1981; 2009). In his last article, published in Iranica Antiqua in 2009, he argued that the stone monument is constructed on a platform which is actually a natural hillock, previously utilized as a cemetery during Parthian period and the monument was later constructed during Sassanid period, therefore there is no link between the cemetery and the stone monument (Azarnoush, 2009). The discovered Parthian coins were clear evidences for precise dating of the cemetery, while no Parthian evidence was observed on the platform by Kambakhsh Fard, in fact all of the Parthian evidences were discovered from the graves inside the platform and the building was constructed upon them in the following centuries (probably Sassanid era). On the other side, the dating proposed by Azarnoush and attributing the building to Sassanid period is based on the architectural stylistic studies and is supported by dating sample (See: Azarnoush, 1981; 2009) 2. Considering Azarnoush s arguments, it seems logical to recognize the great monument of Kangavar as a Sassanid construction, however, he believed that this building is not a temple but an uncompleted structure which was abandoned and never occupied (Azarnoush, 2009). As a matter of fact, the ending part of Azarnoush s interpretation is perplexing; since it seems that he overlooked and did not mentioned the movable Sassanid findings discovered during the excavations. The discovered cultural material from the construction and the ruins around it, do not seem to be related to an unfinished and unoccupied building, including a diverse collection of ceramic sherds, ceramic vessels, glass wares, stone and bone beads, vessel with Pahlavi inscription, two Sassanid seals and one bullae (See: Kambakhsh Fard, 2007 b: p. 73: Fig. 29;p. 74: Fig. 33; p. 104: Fig. 24; p. 106: Fig 26p. 119: Fig. 48; p. 120: Fig 50; Mehryar and Kabiri 2004: p. 126: Fig 40 and Pl. 15; Mehryar & Kabiri, 2004) (Figs. 3-4). The question is how these materials can be related to a building which had been never used? While, for instance, Mehdi Rahbar only found the sherds of one vessel during the widespread excavation in the Sassanid unfinished construction of Bisotun (Rahbar, 2008; 2014). Moreover, according to the discovered Sassanian sealing from Kangavar excavations, sealed with the seal of the Nimavand (Nahavand) fire temple s priest, a consignment was delivered to this building in Kangavar. It does not seem rational for an important fire temple such as Nahavand fire temple to send a sealed consignment to an uncompleted and empty building. Besides, how the ceramics as well as the stone seal with the motif of eagle can be interpreted? What about other valuable items such as the glass wares? Furthermore, the important discovery of the monument known as Anahita temple is a ceramic seal (Fig. 5) with the name of Khosrow Shanum (Khosrow Ashum), the ruler of the western regions of Iran at the late Sassanid period (Qouchani has thoroughly studied this seal and evaluated it in a historical context. For more detailed discussion in this regard, See: Qouchani, 2006). Why would the seal which belonged to one of the major governor of the region, from Hamedan to Qasr-e Shirin, be found in an uncompleted and abandoned building? Besides, several authors in Islamic period has also mentioned the monument in Kangavar as the palace of Kangavar, including Ibn-Faqih, Abū Ḏulaf and Yāqūt al-hamawi. Is it possible to make a more precise conclusion through current evidences and future discoveries? If we accept Azarnoush s interpretation about the monument s date, we can rely on the movable 9 2- Short Sassanid inscriptions can be also added to the evidences in this regard (Kambakhshfard, 2007b: ).

9 2017, Vol. 1, No. 4 discoveries for interpreting the function of the building. In fact, concerning the seal of the well-known Sassanid ruler in the excavation, this assumption comes to the mind that the monument has probably been a palace, a residential complex or perhaps the managerial organization of Khosrow Shanum. Indeed, important discoveries like the seals and sealing are significant evidences that the monument in Kangavar had been utilized and occupied by a special class of Sassanid society. In my opinion, these important evidences are strong proofs that the Kangavar monument had not been an abandoned and uncompleted building; and the scattered pieces of stone materials, mentioned by Azarnoush, such as the vaults were not a reason for the building to be unfinished, but they were probably displaced during the Islamic period. Two fragmentary and incomplete stone materials are not sufficient evidences to conclude that the building was unoccupied and abandoned. It is also highly possible that the discovered material such as the ceramics, glass wares, seals and other objects were part of the collection utilized in the residence of Khosrow Shanum during the late Sassanid period. However, we are fully aware that except for the exterior parts of the building, the majority of the site and specially the platform has not been excavated and it is very likely to encounter more evidences from Sassanid period during the future excavation and reach to a clearer interpretation. Acknowledgment: I would like to thank Dr. Shokuh Khosravi and Dr. Remy Boucharlat for reviewing this short note. 10

10 Samuel Jordan Center for Persian Studies and Culture Fig. 1. The location of the so-called Anahita temple in Kangavar, Western Iran (Courtesy of Saeid Bahramiyan) Fig. 2. The Sasanian structure of Kangavar 11

11 2017, Vol. 1, No. 4 A B 12 Fig. 3. Some Important Sasanian period objects from Kangavar Excavations: a. vessel with Pahlavi inscription (after Kambakhsh Fard 2007 b: p. 47: Fig. 23; p. 104: Fig. 24), b. Sasanian Seal (after Kambakhsh Fard 2007 b: p. 74: Fig. 33), and C. Sasanian Bullae with seal impression of the Nimavand (Nahavand) fire temple s priest (after Kambakhsh Fard 2007 b: p. 73: Fig. 29). C

12 Samuel Jordan Center for Persian Studies and Culture 13 Fig. 4. Some Sasanian glass vessels from Kangavar Excavations (after Kambakhsh Fard 2007 b: p. 119: Fig. 48 and p. 120: Fig. 50) Fig. 2. The Seal of late Sasanian governor (Khosrow Shanum) of the region between Hamedan to Qasr-e Shirin with Arabic Inscription founded in Kangavar excavations in 1994 (Mehryar and Kabiri 2004: p. 126: Fig 40 and Pl. 15; Qouchani, 2006: Figs. 8, 9 and 12)

13 2017, Vol. 1, No. 4 Bibliography 14 Azarnoush, M., Excavayions at Kangavar, Archäologische Mitteilungen aus Iran, Band 14: Azarnoush, M., New Evidence on the chronology of The Anahita Temple, Iranica Antiqua, XLIV: Kambakhsh Fard, S., 2007a. Kavooshha va Pazhoheshhay Bastan shenasi va ehya Memari Mabad-e Anahitay-e Kangavar va Taq-e Gara, Yadmanha va Bavarhay Asatiri Faramosh Shode, (=Archaeological Excavations and Research at Anahita Temple and Taq-e Gara (Kermanshah)), Vol. 1, Tehran: ICHHO, (In Persian). Kambakhsh Fard, S., 2007b.,Kavooshha va Pazhoheshhay Bastan shenasi va ehya Memari Mabad-e Anahitay-e Kangavar va Taq-e Gara, Ganjineh-hay-e yafteh shode az kawosh-ha (=Archaeological Excavations and Research at Anahita Temple and Taq-e Gara (Kermanshah)), Vol. 2, Tehran: ICHHO, (In Persian). Keliss, W., Kangavar, in Yarshater (ed.), Encyclopedia Iranica, Vol. XV: , Costa Mesa, California, Mazda Publisher. Mehryar, M. and A. Kabiri, Edamey-e kankash-ha dar Ma bad-e Anahita Kangavar, karnameh-ye kavosh, pazhouhesh, samandehi va moarefi Chaharomin gorouh-e Bastanshenasi (az 1367 ta 1380) (=Excavations. Researches, Site Management and Introduction. The Fourth Archaeological Expedition (From 1988 to 2001)).The continuation of Investigations in Anahita Temple. Kangavar, Tehran: Research Institute, Iranian Cultural Heritage and Tourism Organization, (In Persian). Nikzad, M., 1390/ Arzyaby-e pishnahadat-e erae shode darbare-ye banay-e mavsom be ma bade Anahita dar Kangavar, (=Evaluating suggestions presented on the building called the Temple of Anahita at Kangavar), Modares Archaeological Research 3: , (In Persian). Qouchani, A., 1385/ Ghadimtarin mohr-e nebeshtedar-e doran-e Eslami az yek hakem-e Sasani, (=The Earliest Know Inscribed Seal of The Islamic Period), Iranian Journal of Archaeology and History, Vol. 20, (1-2), 39-40: 82-98, (In Persian). Rahbar, M. 1378/ Panjomin fasl-e kawoshha-ye bastanshenasi Bisotun (= The 5 th season of Archaeological Excavation at Bisotun), unpublished Report prepared for the Archive of the CHHOT office of Kermanshah province (In Persian). Rahbar, M Natayej-e fasl-e sheshom-e kawoshha-ye Bisotun, (= The result of the 6 th season of Bisotun Excavations), in Raei, H., and M. Khanmoradi, Pp , Majmoe maghalat-e Bastanshenasi in Bisotun (=Archaeology in Bisotun), (In Persian).

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