Getty Museum

Bowl with a Royal Inscription

Date

A.D. 224–240

Medium

Silver

Culture

Near Eastern (Sasanian)

Department

Vessels

Institution

Getty Museum

This silver bowl is simple in shape, with high and nearly vertical walls and a low ring foot carved from the bottom of the vessel. It is similar to other examples from early court workshops of the Sasanian Empire in its size but unusual for its thin walls, light weight, and plain design. The shape is, however, found on both silver and ceramic drinking bowls of the late Parthian Empire. The bowl bears a long Middle Persian inscription punched into the exterior rim, naming Sadarab, king of Frenag: Transliteration: ZNE MANE st’rpy plynk MLKA npšt AE mzdysn bgy Y ʾrthštr MLKAn MLKA ʾyrʾn MNW ctry MN yzdʾn YNGDWN ʾsymy 20 MCY Transcription: _ēn ȷ˘ām *Sadārab [Sadāraf?] *P/Frēnag (?) šāh nibišt brād mazdēsn bay ī Ardaxšahr šāhān šāh Ērān kē čihr az yazdān. YNGDWN asēm 20 statēr_ Translation: “Sadarab, King of Frenag, inscribed this cup, the brother of the Mazda-worshipping Lord Ardashir, King of Kings of Iran, of divine nature. Hammered silver, 20 staters” The inscription provides historical information not recorded elsewhere, indicating that Sadarab was a brother of the founder of the Sasanian Empire, Ardashir I (AD 224-240). In the early Sasanian Empire the kings often appointed their brothers, sons, and uncles as provincial “kings.” According to the early tenth-century historian al-Tabari, Ardashir I had numerous brothers, both older and younger, although he records the name of only one, Shapur, the heir apparent, who died on his way to put down a rebellion led by Ardashir. This inscription seems to corroborate al-Tabari’s account that Ardashir was backed by his remaining brothers. Moreover, it attests to the fact that Ardashir I trusted some of his brothers enough to appoint them as provincial kings. The identity of the province is unknown. The meaning of the Arameaogram YNGDWN (“hammered” or “beaten”), which appears in other inscriptions on silver vessels, is known from its Semitic roots, but the exact Middle Persian word that it represented is not entirely clear, though one may conjecture that it corresponded to *koft*. The inscription is followed by a stylized tree or branch. This may be the heraldic symbol (*nišan* or *tamga*) of the owner, the silversmith’s mark, or simply ornamental.

The authoritative record is held by Getty Museum. LinkedCulture surfaces this object and its connections; it does not alter institutional metadata.