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Bulla with stamp seal impression

Near Eastern, Iranian, Persian
Achaemenid
550–331 B.C.

Medium/Technique Clay
Dimensions Height x diameter: 2.5 x 2.8 cm (1 x 1 1/8 in.)
Credit Line Morris and Louise Rosenthal Fund
Accession Number1989.159
ClassificationsSeals

DescriptionClay bulla with impression of a stamp seal depicting the Persian king spearing a Greek hoplite.
ProvenanceBy 1985, acquired on the art market, Iran, by Eshagh (Isaac) Sakhai, Newton, MA [see note]; 1989, sold by Eshagh Sakhai to the MFA. (Accession Date: May 22, 1989)

NOTE: First lent to the MFA on August 12, 1985. At the time of acquisition, the bulla was said to have been "probably found at Persepolis in the 1930s" based on comparative examples.