Comparative and Laboratory Study of the Parthian - Sassanid textile fragment, from Moghadam Museum of University of Tehran

We can recognize ancient environmental, political, economic and cultural conditions with study old textiles. Textile objects are important cases for archaeological investigations at the museums. Professor Mohsen Moghadam has collected unique textile collection belonged to Parthian, Sassanid, early Islamic, middle Islamic, Safavid, Qajar and Pahlavi periods and a few foreign textiles for example, China, Japanese, Italy, turkey and India. In this paper, authors did comparative study and laboratory analysis of the textile fragment from Moghadam museum’s textile collection. We seldom observe textile and fabric objects among archaeological finds, because of their perishable character. To this reason, textiles have much important within cultural materials and it was used special research procedures for study its. According to, comparative and laboratory studies, it was identified that mentioned textile fragment belonged to Parthian or early Sassanid period. Main conclusions have been identification of historical period, fibers material, pigment, weave technique. We achieved to scientific results about fibers, weave technique and made colored motifs with used various animal fibers.It is admit that in the past decades,correct origin and date of relics was identified by view of history of art and compare object with other contemporary and same context finds. Whereas, these procedures had problems and doubts for scholars, it is tried that results of historical culture (history of art) is evaluated with laboratory and more accurate sciences. In this paper, authors have studied textile fragment from this viewpoint. The textile weaving technique is slit tapestry. This weaving technique is same to drugget– weaving. In this technique, motif is weaved via pass woof on and into warp, but warp is not stretched in width, then warp is shifted to up or down row when motif is completed. As a result, it is observed gaps within various colors. Note,Motifs usually is performed by warp on woof. On the contrary, in order to weave a mentioned textile fragment, it has been used to plan motif by woof on a pair wrap. As well as, details of motifs have been made to do needlework. This technique has made current in the Parthian period. This textile’s fibers are cellulosic (cotton) and proteid (woolen). The types of Parthian textiles have found at the ancient sites such as Qumis (Hekatompylus), Germi (Ardebil Province), NowroozMahaleh (Gilan Province) and south Mesopotamia. Unfortunately, their weaving techniques have not researched for comparative studies and more documentary results. As well as, carbon dating caused terrible damage to this object, therefore, its historical period was identified based on comparative study with Parthian’s and Sassanid’s contemporary cases. In this paper, it also was surveyed influences of periphery cultures and arts on Parthian’s and Sassanid’s textile art and industry. This textile has Hellenistic motifs and themes belonged to Selucid and Parthian periods that to been costumed in the east lands, especially in the Persian. Documentary causes for this issue are same archaeological data that found in the ancient sites such as QalehYazdgird and motifs on the Sassanid silver vessels, Parthian ivory rhyton and ceramic coffin.