On the chronology and use of timber in the palaces and palace-like structures of the Sasanian Empire in “Persis” (SW Iran)

Abstract

Timber in an archaeological context can be used to establish chronologies, to understand the history of architecture and to reconstruct cultural landscapes and natural vegetation in the past. In this study, we use the xylological identifications and radiocarbon dating results of five timber fragments recently discovered in three palaces or palace-like structures in Fars (SW Iran) dating back to the period of the Sasanian Empire (224-651 CE). We show that Qal'a-ye Dokhtar, a fortified palace to the north of Firuzabad, was constructed during the power transition from the Parthian to the Sasanian period. On the other hand, the so-called Palace of Ardashir I besides Firuzabad, was accomplished after the power takeover by the Sasanians and the political stabilisation of SW Iran under the reign of Ardashir I (224-240 CE) and his son Shapur I (240-270 CE). We also demonstrate that the 'Palace of Sarvistan' was mainly used right after the fall of the Sasanian Empire during the first centuries of Islamic domination over Iran. The discovery of timber in stone-dominated Sasanian architecture adds information on timber use in the Late Antique Near East. Mediterranean cypress (Cupressus sempervirens L.) was the only timber found in Sasanian palatial architecture, and its use suggests that the tree was one of the major cultivated elements in ancient 'Persis' most probably for its shade, beauty and building timber, but possibly also for its symbolic significance and sacred status to the Zoroastrians. Cypress trees may have played a major role in Persian gardens since antiquity, along with plane trees.

Vegetation history of the Maharlou Lake basin (SW Iran) with special reference to the Achaemenid period (550–330 bc)

“…Miller (1985) suggested the early cultivation of Platanus by Elamites, based on charcoal records from 2200 to 1800 bc. The constant presence of plane tree pollen in southwest Iran is also well described in previous investigations (Djamali et al 2009a(Djamali et al , 2011(Djamali et al , 2017Shumilovskikh et al 2017). The present diagram shows the increase in Platanus pollen values centred around the Achaemenid period and reaching to the highest percentages during the Sasanian Empire to the Early Islamic period and the Buyid dynasty in particular.…”

“…Regarding the near-complete absence of juniper trees from the region today, we hypothesised that the pollen of this family is mostly produced by the cypress tree. The values of cypress pollen, varying in the same fashion with cultivated trees, support the hypothesis according to which cypress was an important constituent of ancient 'Persian gardens' and was favoured by the Achaemenids and Sasanians (Djamali et al 2017). Indeed, Cupressus sempervirens timber was used in the construction of monuments by the Sasanian and early Muslim dynasties (Djamali et al 2017).…”

“…The values of cypress pollen, varying in the same fashion with cultivated trees, support the hypothesis according to which cypress was an important constituent of ancient 'Persian gardens' and was favoured by the Achaemenids and Sasanians (Djamali et al 2017). Indeed, Cupressus sempervirens timber was used in the construction of monuments by the Sasanian and early Muslim dynasties (Djamali et al 2017). However, the starting date for cypress plantation may go back to the late Elamite period.…”

“…the Holocene epoch) with no special focus on agricultural events during Imperial Persia (550 bc-ad 651) and the Achaemenid period. The long history of tree cultivation and introduction of new arboreal elements in southwest Iran is documented in a few publications (Djamali et al 2009a(Djamali et al , 2011(Djamali et al , 2015(Djamali et al , 2017Jones et al 2015;Miller 1985;Shumilovskikh et al 2017). In this study, pollen types of Platanus, Punica granatum, Vitis, Olea, Juglans and Phoenix dactylifera are used to define arboricultural activities.…”

“…Olea (olive) appeared as an important arboricultural element during the Achaemenid and Seleucid periods around Lake Parishan (Djamali et al 2015;Jones et al 2015). In addition, pollen and archaeological wood fragments of the cypress tree family (Cupressaceae) reveal different purposes for arboricultural practices (providing timber and shade) from the Achaemenid to the post-Sasanian periods (Djamali et al 2017). Maharlou Lake has excellent pollen preservation conditions that, combined with its large basin, provide a great opportunity to study agro-pastoral and arboriculture activities on a regional scale through a palynological investigation.…”