Sassanian Empire, 300-600 CE

(BLMJ 3759)

The Sassanians were excellent silversmiths and goldsmiths, who displayed their imaginative powers to the full in iconography and decoration. Birds were a common motif used in their works, as traditionally birds had mostly positive associations in the Zorastrian region of ancient Persia. They were regarded as the creation of Ahura Mazda, the power of good, and fought against the vermin created by Ahriman, the power of evil. The eagle, traditionally the symbol of the beneficent sky god, also began to be identified with the mythical Saeana, the bird who sits on top of the sacred Tree of All Seeds and scatters them over the earth to generate bountiful harvests.

During this period the eagle may have also been associated with royal glory.