Newly Discovered Stone Plaque from the Sar-Masjed Fire Temple, Masjed Soleyman

Subject Areas : Archaeology

Kourosh Izadmehr ^{1 *} , Ziba Salehi Fargani ² , Ayoub Soltani ³

1 -
2 - M.A. in Archaeology, University of Mazandaran, Iran.
3 - Ph.D. Candidate in Archaeology, Department of History and Archaeology, Central Tehran Branch, Islamic Azad University, Tehran, Iran.

Received: 2025-04-23 Accepted : 2025-05-27

Keywords: Elymaean, Masjed Soleyman, Sar-Masjed, Relief, Heracles.,

Abstract :

The complex state of Elymaean art, resulting from a fusion of ancient indigenous traditions with Hellenistic art, has practically made it difficult to generalize Elymaean art—especially its reliefs and sculptures—in terms of execution techniques, content, and cultural themes to Parthian art in general or to categorize it within a unified technical and thematic spectrum. The religious influences inherited from Mesopotamia and Elam, along with borrowings from Mithraism and Zoroastrianism, blended with Hellenistic art, reveal a context of acceptance, innovation, and free and widespread promotion across all aspects of Elymaean life. Meanwhile, the increasing discovery of evidence with non-native origins points to the openness of their religious, cultural, and social contexts. This study has been conducted using a comparative evaluation method and is based on library sources. The newly discovered bas-relief (plaque) from Sar-Masjed in Masjed Soleyman, like many other rock carvings, has been found damaged and broken. Due to the similarity of the figure on the right side of the image to Tang-e-Batan Shimbar and the statue of Heracles in Masjed Soleyman, this plaque may be dated to the 1st–2nd centuries CE. Regarding its meaning, the nude male figure likely represents a divine character, possibly the Greek god Heracles. Thus, it reflects an Elymaean individual's act of reverence toward the god Heracles.

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