The Sasanian Twin Pillar Ossuaries at Shoush Village, Kohgiloyeh Va Boyer Ahmad (Iran)

IranicaAntiqua, vol. L, 2015 doi: 10.2143/IA.50.0.3053525

DO GUR-E DOPA: THE SASANIAN TWIN PILLAR OSSUARIES AT SHOUSH VILLAGE, KOHGILOYEH VA BOYER AHMAD (IRAN)

BY Mahdokht FARJAMIRAD (Ghent University)

Abstract: The pillar ossuary is a unique but a less known type of Sasanian bone receptacle that has mainly been reported from Fars. This article introduces newly discovered twin pillar ossuaries south of Basht, in southern Kohgiloyeh va Boyer Ahmad Province. During the Sasanian period this region was situated in northern Pārs that is still one of the poorly known areas in Iranian archaeology.

Keywords: Kohgiloyeh va Boyer Ahmad, northern Pārs, pillar ossuary, astodan, Zoroastrianism, Sasanian, bone receptacle.

Introduction

Pillar ossuaries were frequently reported from the area of Istakhr as well as northern Sasanian Pārs. Pārs province was located in the southern quadrant of the Sasanian Empire between Kirman in the east, Khuzistan in the west, and Pahlaw (Isfahan) in the north (Miri 2012: 25). Do-Gur-e Dopa is one of a few examples of pillar astodans in northern Pārs that, based on the geographical administrative division of the Sasanian period, was likely part of the districts of Shapur Xwarrah (Istakhri: 102) or Veh-Az-Amid-Kavād (Gyselen 1989: 72 & 98). In early Islamic sources this area was on the way from Shiraz to Arrajān (near modern Behbahan) (Gaube 1986; Eqtedari 1989; Miri 2012: 131). In the modern geographi- cal division Do-Gur-e Dopa is located in the south of Kohgiloyeh va Boyer Ahmad province. The aim of this paper is to introduce the twin pillar ossuaries of Do Gur-e Dopa as one of the few known Sasanian archaeological remains in this region, which is indeed one of the least archaeologically known regions in the Zagros Mountains. Until now, many papers were written about

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Sasanian administrative geography, but the absence of archaeological evi- dence from this area has always been the major obstacle to the reconstruc- tion of the administrative status of northern Pārs (southern Kohgiloyeh va Boyer Ahmad) during Sasanian times (see Gyselen 1989; see also Gignoux 1971 & 2004). The twin pillar ossuaries highlight the importance of this area in the Sasanian period.

Pillar ossuaries in Fars

Among various types of Sasanian astodans the pillar ossuary is perhaps a less familiar type, mainly because its function as a bone receptacle was always a matter of discussion. However, the recent discovery of twin pillar ossuaries with funerary inscriptions at the Sasanian cemetery of Tang-e Djelo, north of Yasuj, may put an end to all these debates (Nasrollah Zadeh & Javeri 2002: 71-76). Earlier, another Pahlavi inscription on a reused Achaemenid column from Bagh-e Lardi, near Sivand, (translation in Henning 1958: 48 & Frye 1970: 176) was also interpreted as a proof for the funerary function of these pillars (Sprengling 1953: 70, 71, see also Huff 2004: 614). They have a cylindrical shaft fixed into a circular hollow in the rocky ground. One of the best-known examples of them is still partly insitu on the western corner of Kuh-e Hossein (Kleiss 1976: 144). Numer- ous similar hollows in the area of Kuh-e Hossein and Kuh-e Rahmat sug- gest the frequency of these pillars in central Pārs. These holes were first interpreted by Stronach (1966: 226) as fire bowls, but now it is commonly accepted that they originally were footings for disappeared pillar ossuaries like at Kuh-e Hossein, Qanat-e Bagh or Pengan. More round hollows in the rock as well as cylindrical pillar ossuaries were discovered by Vanden Berghe in 1962 in Semiroum (Vanden Berghe 1968: 43) and in the Sasanian cemetery of Tang-e Djelo (Vanden Berghe 1968: 8; see also Trümpelmann 1984: 326) eighty kilometres to the north of Yasuj. This cemetery is situated very close to the borders of Kohgiloyeh va Boyer Ahmad, but in modern geographical division it sits at the south- ernmost Isfahan Province. In 1968, Vanden Berghe discovered another pil- lar ossuary near the village of Pengan on the north-east border of Fars (Huff 1992: 210; Huff 2004: 612, fig. 9). Near the pillar some broken pieces of nicely cut stones had fallen on the ground. Huff composed these fragments to one piece and reconstructed the cupola-shaped lid on top of the pillar that was used as cover over the bones (Huff 1992: 207-217). His

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reconstruction suggests that similar pillars in the area of Istakhr and in northern Sasanian Pārs most likely had a same additional structure on top that must have disappeared or that was destroyed in the course of time. Pillar ossuaries with square shafts are rare and belong to a less repre- sented type. The pillars of Qanat-e Bagh (Vanden Berghe 1984: 511-518, see also Huff 2004: 612 & 613) and Tang-e Karam (Huff 2004: 610 & 611) are the only available examples of square shaft pillar ossuaries in southern Fars. Though the use of astodan and bone receptacles were attested as far as the coasts of the Persian Gulf to the west, pillar ossuaries were mainly distributed to the centre and north-western part of Pārs prov- ince (Pl. 1).

Twin pillar ossuaries of Do-Gur-e Dopa

On the way from Fahlyan to Gachsaran in Basht district, to the south- east of Kohgiloyeh va Boyer Ahmad, there is a small village known as Shoush-e Sofla. The village is located some eight kilometres to the south of the city of Basht, i.e the centre of Basht district, in a fertile valley cov- ered by pastures and farms. In this village there are two pillar ossuaries one next to the other, locally known as Do Gur-e Dopa, on top of a mound surrounded by arable lands (Pl. 2 & 3). The surface of the mound is cov- ered by rubble and its soil is not suitable for cultivation. Stein, during his survey in the vicinity of Basht, proceeded from Kupun to Basht by the ancient road which passes through the gorge of Tang-e Pirin (Stein, 1940: 48). There is, therefore, no surprise why he has not noticed the pillars of Do Gur-e Dopa. The mound and the pillars are only quite visible from the modern road. That is how I discovered these monuments during a visit of the region in April 2013. This short visit only allowed me to photograph and measure the pillars and no test trenches were made next to the still standing ossuaries or in the seemingly natural mound. The name Do-Gur-e Dopa literary means two graves with two legs. and “Gowr” (Gabr)1 [گور] ”Nevertheless, in Persian script the words “Gur are written identical, but the former means a grave and the latter [گور] rather refers to a Zoroastrian or anything that belongs to the pre-Islamic :in Dehkhoda Dictionary; see also Ibn-e Balkhiگبر period of Iran (See

1 Gowr and Gabr are both of a same meaning, but its pronunciation in local dialects is sometimes different.

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117). It suggests that the name of the pillars may not only refer to a grave but it also alludes to the pre-Islamic background of the pillars or to an unknown Zoroastrian person. One may, therefore, conclude that the name Do Gur (Gowr)-e Dopa was adopted during the Islamic period when the locals had still a dim memory of the pillars’ owners or their funerary function2. The cylindrical pillars were carved from two monolithic lime stone pieces and it seems that they were fixed directly into the ground, as no column basis is traceable. They have both an identical shape with cylindri- cal shafts and square-shaped top parts. Both shafts are eroded and nar- rowed in the middle. One of these pillars is slightly taller than the other, with a maximum height of 2.05 meters, while the other pillar is about 1.84 meters high (Pl. 4 & 5). On the square top part of each pillar there is a round cavity with an average diameter between 0.17 - 0.23 and 0.10 - 0.12 meters depth. No ridges around the circular depressions were to be observed, though it is likely that they functioned as bone containers. The smaller pillar is badly damaged on top, but the remaining parts clearly show that both top parts were alike (Pl. 5 & 6). It seems acceptable to sug- gest the former presence of a separately made dome-shaped lid over the circular cavities as at Pengan and as reconstructed by Huff (2004: 612, fig. 9). Around the pillars no pottery sherds or broken stone pieces were visible; therefore we are unaware of the type of lid or the presence of any other kind of structure on the mound.

Concluding remarks

In view of the absence of any inscription on the pillars of Do-Gur-e Dopa, we may not be able to date them accurately. But we know that stone receptacles and the use of ossuaries was a common practice among upper class citizens of the late Sasanian period, continuing into very early Islamic period (sixth and seventh c. AD). In fact, it was the result of a Zoroastrian religious prohibition that banned inhumation practices but kept the option of preserving the bones in a receptacle for those who could afford it (Ven- didad VI. 51). It may explain why the major impact of this prohibition is more evidenced in Pārs, the cultural and religious heartland of the Sasanian

2 The twin pillar ossuaries of Tang-e Djelo cemetery is also known by locals as Mil-e Gabr (Gabr pillar).

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Empire, while in other regions stone ossuaries were not really popular. In any event, whether or not the pillars of Do Gur-e Dopa belonged to a high- ranking Sasanian person, maybe a man and possibly his wife or any other relative, remains unknown. Huff (2004: 597, 609) has observed that the chamber-dakhmas are often arranged in pairs, with slightly different sizes. Equally, burial cists and platforms were also sometimes observed in pairs (Huff 1988: 166, fig.11 & Boucharlat 1991: Pl. XXIV/c). According to Huff, these astodans belonged to closely related persons, however differing in rank. The accuracy of this hypothesis is demonstrated in light of the recently discovered inscriptions on twin pillar ossuaries of Tang-e Djelo. The names on these inscriptions indicate that the astodans belonged to a father and son (Nasrollah Zadeh & Javeri 2002: 73). In the wake of continuous archaeological surveys and excavations our knowledge of the Sasanian period in central Pārs has largely developed. However, there is still a large gap in our knowledge of northern Pārs dur- ing that time. The earliest exploration of the area took place by Stein, reporting some Sasanian remains including a dam, a water-mill and the massive Sasanian bridge of Pirin (Stein 1940: 45, 48-50). The accidental discovery of a piece of Sasanian stucco from Sa’adat Abad village, seven kilometres to the north-west of Shoush village, is another important archae- ological evidence that clearly reinforces the possibility of a Sasanian set- tlement in this area (Zāre et al. 2013: 131-136) (Pl. 2). These archaeologi- cal remains can also be used in support of the importance of southern Kohgiloyeh va Boyer Ahmad during the Sasanian period.

References

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Pl. 1. The distribution pattern of pillar ossuaries in Sasanian Pārs.

Pl. 2. Map of southern Kohgiloyeh va Boyer Ahmad, Basht district.

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Pl. 3. View of the mound and the twin pillars from Shoush Village.

Pl. 4. Drawing and section of the pillars.

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Pl. 5. The twin pillar ossuaries of Do Gur-e Dopa.

Pl. 6. Square top parts of the pillars and their cavities, the top part of the smaller pillar is severely damaged.

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