| Stamp seal (BM 119999) | |
|---|---|
.jpg) The stamp seal with two facing busts and Sogdian inscription.Room 52,British Museum. | |
| Material | Carnelian |
| Size | Length: 3.30 centimetres Width: 2.60 centimetres |
| Created | 4th-6th century CE |
| Present location | Room 52,British Museum,London |
| Registration | 1870, 1210.3 |
| Location | |
  Location of the region ofSogdia, to which the stamp seal belongs. | |
Stamp seal (BM 119999), is a historical stamp seal from theBritish Museum, with reference number BM 119999, located inRoom 52 of the museum. The stamp seal was procured bySir Alexander Cunningham, who sold it to the British Museum in 1870.[1] Another, nearly identical, seal, is located in theCalcutta Museum.[2]
The seal is made ofcarnelian, a precious stone, and rather hard to engrave.[1] It is considered as "a Sogdian double portrait".[2] It shows two facing busts. One is a bearded male, wearing a forward-projecting cap bordered with pearls, as well as a diadem, ear-rings and a necklace.[1] The other wears a radiate crown with royal ribbons.[1] Above is an inscription in two lines, in theSogdian language.
The design with two facing busts is also visible in some of the coinage of the period, although the small space of the coins seems to have forced to two busts to come closer together.[3] It has been suggested that this design was influenced bysome Byzantine coins,[4] but this may not be necessarily so.[3]
The stamp seal is dated by the British Museum to 300-350 CE, during theKushano-Sasanian period, and belongs to the area ofSogdia, north of theOxus.[1][3] In this, the museum follows the conclusions ofBivar (1969), and Livshits (1969), according to which the seal should be dated to the 4th century CE.[3] Livshits (1969) also offered a reading for the Sogdian inscription, which is the one still used by the British Museum:[3]
_Radiate_crown.jpg)
(1) 'yt mydrh cwn ’yn/ztmyc
(2) (p) ’nbsn z ’ ’ntyh (or zc ’ntyh, n ’cztyh)
This seal is from (of) Indamic
Queen of Zacanta
— Seal inscription, according to Livshits (1969).[3]
Paleographical comparisons also suggests a "rough date" of the 4th century CE, and at any rate before the second half of the 5th century CE.[3] Stylistically, the stamp seal is said to share the artistic characteristics of other knownKushano-Sasanians seals, but alsoHephthalites seals.[3]
Livshits (2000) has since reappraised the datation of the stamp seal as well as the translation of the Sogdian legend. In his latest analysis, he thought that the seal should be dated to the 5th-6th century CE, and should read:[2]
| Line | Original (Sogdian alphabet) | Transliteration | English translation |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | 𐼀𐼊𐼛 𐼍𐼊𐼘𐼘𐼆 𐼕𐼇𐼏 𐼀𐼊𐼎𐼚𐼇𐼍𐼊𐼖 | ʾyt myδrh cwn ʾyntwmyc | This gem is from the Indian |
| 2 | 𐼔𐼀𐼎𐼂𐼙𐼏 𐼎𐼀𐼎𐼚𐼊𐼆 | [pʾnβšn nʾntyh]Error: {{Transliteration}}: transliteration text not Latin script (pos 4: β) (help) | Lady, Nandi |
Kurbanov (2010) considers that the seal is characteristic ofHephthalite seals.[5]
![Hephthalite coin of the Principality of Chaghaniyan, with the two busts of a crowned King and Queen, in Byzantine fashion, circa 550-650 CE.[6][3]](/mt/?noimg=&dark=on&url=https%3a%2f%2fen.wikipedia.org%2fwiki%2fFile%3aChaghaniyanSogdiancoin.jpg)
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%2c_excavated_in_Northern_Syria%2c_5th_century_CE_British_Museum_135071.jpg)
