Investigation of Sassanid Period Ornaments in Northern Iran, the Result of Scientific Archaeological Excavations

At no stage in the development of civilization has human being able to separate himself from ornaments and decorative objects. Jewelry has been a means of decorating and defining the social status of the user. The Sassanid period can be called the peak period of the art of industry and metalwork of Iran before Islam, the art of jewelry making and ornaments in this period reached its peak. During archeological excavations in the cemeteries of the Sassanid period in northern Iran, a collection of jewelry made of gold, silver, bronze, glass paste, oysters, and stones has been found, which reflects the art and culture of the tribes living in this region in the Sassanid period. The main purpose of this study is to study and analyze the jewelry discovered from the cemeteries of the Sassanid period in northern Iran in terms of the type of material, construction technology, and type of use. The findings of this study have been collected and reviewed based on archaeological data and library resources. The results of this study show that some graves were without ornaments or with worthless ornaments and others have more and more valuable ornaments than other tombs, this indicates a socially and economically significant class conflict between the people of this region during the period. Casting, hammering, tapestry, soldering, and melting wax have also been used in the construction of these objects. In the decoration of ornaments, motifs of mythical animals, motifs of animals (deer, snake), plant motifs (cypress, tree), and human and geometric motifs have been used.