Iconographic and Linguistic Interpretations of the Sasanian Clay Bullae in the Framji Dadabhoy Alpaiwalla Museum, Mumbai

This article presents the first comprehensive study of six unprovenanced Sasanian clay bullae from Iran, held at the Framji Dadabhoy Alpaiwalla Museum in Mumbai. Bearing impressions from personal, official, and administrative seals, the seal impressions are here analysed for their iconography, stylistic characteristics, and Middle Persian inscriptions. The study proposes a chronological framework for the seals that produced their impressions on the bullae and situates the visual motifs within broader Sasanian artistic and symbolic traditions. It explains how these seal impressions reflect the intersection of visual culture, administrative function, and personal identity in Sasanian society, highlighting the complexity of interpreting sigillographic material where artistic convention and institutional roles converge. The inscriptions have been deciphered and enhance our knowledge of administrative practices in the Sasanian Empire. In particular, the study revisits the much debated term ⟨mgwh⟩ within the context of Sasanian administrative epigraphy.