1300-Year-Old Letter Found in Iranian Cave Shows That Familial Bonds Transcend Time

A letter excavated from a cave in Iran proves that the concept of familial bonds transcends time. The letter was found in a Hastijan cave in Iran, My Modern Met reported. It was part of the collection, which included other written documents and items, many of which were looted. 

The treasure in the Hastijan belongs to the time when the Sasanian Empire (aka the Sassanids) was ruling Iran, My Modern Met reported. The Sasanian Empire existed from 224 to 651 CE. Iran flourished to its highest during the Sasanian rule. The reign ended due to several Muslim conquests in the 7th and 8th centuries.

The Hastijan cave, located in the central province of Delijan housed several valuable items from the late Sasanian era, My Modern Met reported. Over the years, the place has been plundered many times by different parties.

The existence of the Hastijan cave was not known to researchers and historians, My Modern Met reported. It was through analysis of items robbed from this cave, researchers found out about the place.

"The name of this cave was not mentioned in the archaeological map or in the archaeological reports until one of the Pahlavi language experts abroad noticed the leather writings that contained valuable information," shares Mustafa Deh Pahlvan, head of the Research Institute of Cultural Heritage, Tourism and Handicrafts, My Modern Met reported.

"After following up, he found out that many of these works had left the country, and after questioning, he found out that the origin of these parchments was a cave in Central Province."

After learning about the cave, authorities began excavation, as per a study published by eScholarship. The team found 12 new documents and fragments, and several bullae hidden in the cave.

The team, also discovered artifacts of high value, 35 of which were displayed on the sidelines of the Research Week programs by the Research Institute of Cultural Heritage, Tehran Times reported.

A reed flute was put on display, which proved that writings related to the instrument were present during the reign of the Sasanian Empire. Another section had inscribed pottery, a seal in the form of a rose, a ring seal, clay seals, part of a wicker basket, wooden tools, and combs, and a necklace alongside the fabrics from that period.

One of the letters collected from the cave read, "Marwaid, dear sister, may the gods bless her. Good luck to my sister. I sent you a bottle of oil by Bakhtak. Write me a letter about your and Farrokhzad's health and comfort, and be at ease about me and my children. Send the oil soon," My Modern Met reported.

The particular letter was also put on display by the Research Institute of Cultural Heritage, Tehran Times reported. 

The message shows that even thousands of years ago, familial bonds held a lot of value in society, My Modern Met reported. The living conditions during that period were harsher compared to the present time, yet the person writing the letter took time to bless their sister.

All the letters in the collection did not have an emotional overtone, as revealed in a study put out by Verlag Publishers. In the collection, seven letters are addressed to a person named Azadmard. The content of the letters makes it evident that he is a storekeeper. The documents discuss things like recipients of the ration and the money going into the business. 

Another set of official documents in the collection is related to Farroxzad and his relatives, as per the study published by eScholarship. These documents involve his mother and sister. The subject of seven letters is ration, while the other two are personal.

There are nine letters in total within this set. The order of letters helped the researcher to identify the major events that took place in this family, such as the mother's death.

One of the letters regarding ration in the Farroxzad set has been translated to, ‘Bābag, the miller, wanted 2kabīzof wheat for the wage of.....which is the ration of Farroxzād’s sister and from ... toreckon- Zādānfarrox sealed.’

The letter addressed to Marwaid is stored at the Pahlavi Archive at UC Berkley's Bancroft Library, My Modern Met reported. The letter belongs to a larger collection from the late Sasanian or early Islamic period. The collection is spread between Berkeley, Berlin, and Los Angeles.

The collection has been given the name, Pahlavi Archive, as per a study published by eScholarship.