Tree scape: Recognizing the notion of "tree" in the Achaemenid Seals

Research on Achaemenid art is still a fresh and difficult subject. Due to the weakness of the remaining Achaemenid artistic documents, seals are among the most useful materials that have abundant data. This can help us to improve our understanding of Persian in the Achaemenid era. In addition to the beneficial aspect, the tree has also been of aesthetic and ritual value in the Achaemenid thought. The tree's notion can be found in the following two visual and key sources. The first and most used are seals that include a significant portion of the images of the trees. The second type is embossed designs and glazed tiles in architectural monuments that have the least variety of images for examining the tree in Achaemenid art in measuring seals. The purpose of this research is to recognize the notion of "tree" in the Achaemenid Seals based on the typology of trees and to examine the relationship between the species of the tree with the theme or the content of the seals, which is not a matter of much concern. The present paper is based on the hypothesis that "the representation of the tree in the art of seals making with the theme of seal" is not the only element for ornament's scene. The strategy of this qualitative research is descriptive-analytic approach. The results of this study showed that, in general, three recognizable species of trees can be found in these stamps: "palm date trees", " conifer or needle leaf trees" and "fruit trees". Palm trees with or without dates are designed in a realistic way with plenty of detail and axial symmetry. Payment techniques and aesthetics of the trees include a variety of court styles to designer personal tastes. In general, cylindrical seals are a more suitable substrate for palm trees, and this is also consistent with the subject matter of these seals. Because the palm is considered as a symbol of fertility and prosperity, the royal address is also considered, and its significance is so much that in some cases the sign of a wing or winged body disc can be seen above it. Needle leaf or conifer trees are seen in samples of the style of imitation, the main theme of which is its seal, the domination of a crowned man on animals. These trees are designed in hunting and hunting scenes, with simple and parallel hatches. In non-court hunting scenes, the presence of shrub or conifer trees can be seen more. In general, in non-cylindrical seals that have more popular themes and are closer to everyday life, the presence of such tall trees is a cylindrical seal. However, fruit trees have a very small contribution to the studied seals. Fruit trees or flowering trees are appropriate to the designer's style. In addition to the ornamentation, the trees have two key functions: a) the tree as the symbol of the kingdom in the court scenes; and b) the tree as the symbol of nature in the scenic scenes.