TEHRAN – A group of cultural heritage and environmental activists have proposed to introduce the imprinted image on a 4,000-year-old stamp, found in western Lorestan province, as a symbol of the country's environment protection.

A moulage of the ancient stamp, called Virdar (an ancient name meaning guardian), has been made by Amir-Hossein Kulivand, an artisan from Lorestan.
Given that Iran’s environment has not a historically valuable symbol, this 4,000-year-old stamp can be regarded as the logo of the Department of Environment (DOE), researcher and archeologist Ata Hassanpour, told ISNA.
The stamp depicts a man who has embraced two wild goats sympathetically and protected them from lions and leopards, he said, adding, this picture shows protection of animals, which was common among Iranians over the long sweep of history, he explained.

The cylindrical stamp is made out of limestone, which is about 4 centimeters long with a diameter of 2 cm, which goes back to the late second millennium and early first millennium BC, he added.
“The stamp can have a message to today's generation that our ancestors played roles in protecting animals they have not always been hunting and feeding, while in specific seasons such as the birth season known as "Verda" (meaning hug of mother) hunting was avoided, he concluded.
FB/MG