Two Seal Impressions from Kāfer Qalʿa (Samarkand) and the Representations of Iranian Divinities

Abstract

Abstract Among the seal impressions found at the late Sogdian/early Islamic site of Kāfer Qalʿa, a few kilometers south of Samarkand, certain ones deserve special attention due to the divinities which embellish them. Two of these seal impressions are studied in detail in the present paper, within the framework of Zoroastrian religion and iconography. Some hypotheses on the utility of Kāfer Qalʿa as an important Sogdian administrative center during Late Antiquity are presented as well.