TEHRAN - Iran has added three Parthian-Sasanian period artifacts discovered in Amlash county in Gilan province to its national heritage list, the provincial head of cultural heritage said on Saturday.

Yousef Salman-Khah, director of Cultural Heritage, Tourism and Handicrafts of Gilan province, said the items include three glass paste pendant beads in blue and turquoise-green colors, registered as nationally protected historical works.

The artifacts consist of a turtle-shaped pendant bead, a human figurine pendant representing a “mother goddess,” and a clenched-fist-shaped pendant, Salman-Khah said.

The official added that the objects were uncovered during scientific excavations at the Liar-Sang-Bon archaeological site in Amlash county and date from the Parthian to Sasanian periods.

According to Salman-Khah, expert assessments show the artifacts were produced on a very small scale and have high artistic and cultural value. He said the pendants were not only decorative objects but also reflected cultural, ritual, and popular beliefs in ancient Gilan.

He added that motifs such as the mother goddess, turtle, and clenched fist symbolized protection, fertility, and guarding forces in the belief systems of people of that era.

Salman-Khah said the registration of the artifacts aims to protect historical heritage and help introduce the ancient civilization of eastern Gilan. He added that the Liar-Sang-Bon site is one of the province’s key archaeological locations and has yielded significant finds from different historical periods.

The artifacts are associated with what is commonly referred to as the Amlash culture, a term used for a group of archaeological materials attributed to sites in Gilan province and western Mazandaran in northern Iran.

AM