Name
Tol-e Qal’eh Seyfābād تل قلعه سیف آباد
Map
Historical Period
Sasanian
History and description
Tol-e Qal’eh Seyfābād is located 10 km southeast of Kāzerun, in the Province of Fars. The archaeological site is north of the Seyfābād village, approximately 500 m west of Lake Parishan (fig. 1). The mound, 200 x 115 m, is 25 high on its east slope while farming activities have leveled down the western side of the mound to the height of 4 m (fig. 2 ). The southern area of the mound was completely destroyed due to the construction of a pipeline in the early 1980s. Removal of the south slope of the mound revealed architectural remains and attracted antiquities looters and treasure hunters who were active at the site for more than a decade. The mound's surface is covered with potsherds of the Sasanian period.
Fig. 1. Map showing the location of Tol-e Qal’eh Seyfābād and adjacent sites (photo: C. Barfi)
Fig. 2. Views of Tol-e Qal’eh Seyfābād (photo: C. Barfi)
Archaeological Exploration
Tol-e Qal’eh Seyfābād was the object of clandestine excavations between 2003 and 2004. The excavations revealed a number of clay bullae and sealings. Cyrus Barfi and Mohammad Hasan Paknezhad, archaeologists based at Bishāpūr, conducted a survey in the region in 2005 and identified the provenance of the finds at Tol-e Qal’eh Seyfābād. Later, the site was carefully examined, and as a result of sifting the dumps and cleaning the trenches left by clandestine diggers, 27 clay bullae were recovered.
Finds
Finds: Surface finds consist of typical potsherds of Sasanian Fars and clay bullae. Of 27 bullae, 13 were intact and the rest was broken (figs. 4 and 5). Most of the seal impressions are circular. They bear an image in the center with Middle Persian inscriptions on the borders. Besides, 2 pieces of broken glass with beehive designs were retrieved from the clandestine excavation dumps.
Fig. 4. A collection of bullae from Tol-e Qal’eh Seyfābād (photo: C. Barfi)
Fig. 5. Bullae from Tol-e Qal’eh Seyfābād (photo: C. Barfi)
Bibliography
Barfi, S. and Z. Matin, “Gel mohrhā-ye sāsāni-ye Tappeh Seyfābād, Kazerun, Fars,” Bāstānpazhuhi, No. 16, 1387/2008, pp. 116-123.
Barfi, S., M. Amiri, S. Malekzadeh, and T. Daryaee, “A Concise Report on Some Newly Found Sasanian Sites in Kazerun,” e-Sasanika, Archaeology 16, 2013, pp. 1-29.
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