The hunt for Laodicea: a Greek temple in Nahavand, Iran

Mehdi Rahbar & Sajjad Alibaigi

The Greek inscription and other Seleucid finds in Nahavand

The chance discovery of an inscription in Nahavand in 1943 suggested the existence of a Greek temple (Figure 1). Based on the translation of the Greek inscription, the temple was built during the reign of Antiochus III (223-187 BC) (Robert 1949), in the place then referred to as Laodicea (Hakemi 1959). In 1949, five small bronze figures (Figure 2) were discovered by accident in the same area (Rahbar 1976). A little later, whilst visiting the area, Ghirshman happened to identify a Seleucid stone alter (Ghirshman 1963: 19) and in 1978, during a survey and sounding, Gh. Masumi discovered a stone column base in the same location (Masoumi 1978).

Figure 1
Figure 1. The Greek inscription discovered accidentally in Do-Khaharan, Nahavand, in 1943.
Click to enlarge.
Figure 2
Figure 2. The bronze figure of a Greek God found in a chance discovery in 1949.
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New investigations

Figure 3
Figure 3. The location of Nahavand in western Iran.
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In 2005, the present authors revisited the site, which is located at Do-Khaharan, in the north-eastern part of the city (Figure 3). During surface survey, we discovered an Ionic column base and capital, in the yard of a house belonging to the Seleucid era (Rahbar 2005:19), and a plain stone shaft, bearing no decoration, which probably dates to the Sasanian period. Local people reported several engraved stones, a column drum, and columns bases which had been recycled in the foundations of walls or as steps. Although excavations were limited in this built-up area, 11 test trenches were cut, bringing to light potsherds, architectural fragments, graves, parts of columns and other stone objects (Rahbar & Alibaigi in press). The finds were all obtained from disturbed contexts. In some sondages the excavations continued to a depth of 450cm from the surface, but all layers were damaged and disturbed because of recent activities. The pottery included examples from the Seleucid (Figure 4), Parthian (Figure 5), Sasanian and Islamic periods.

The most important find was an Ionic stone capital, now in Nahavand Museum. It is 73.5cm in diameter and 26.5cm in height and decorated by two volutes on two sides (Figure 6). A similar capital, found in Iran, came from a Parthian site in Khorhe (Herzfeld 1941: 285, Fig. 384; Hakemi 1990: Fig. 17; Rahbar 2003: 68, Fig. 16) and another, found on the present border of Iran, came from the Oxus Temple in modern-day Tajikistan (Litvinsky & Pichikian 1998: Figs. 4-6).

Figure 4
Figure 4. The drawings of Seleucid potsherds, discovered through the excavation of various trenches.
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Figure 5
Figure 5. A small Clinky ware jug, found in trench no. 1.
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Another important item was a column base which had been used as a mortar for many years and then abandoned in the corner of a house yard. It is a circular base, 60cm in diameter and 33cm in height (Figure 7). It is decorated by two rather large bold bands. It is very similar to the Ionic column base from Bisotun (Luschey 1996: 57, Tafel. 7, 2).

Figure 6
Figure 6. The sketch and image of the Ionic capital, discovered during survey in Do-Khaharan.
Click to enlarge.
Figure 7
Figure 7. Ionic column base, found during survey in the yard of a Seleucid period house.
Click to enlarge.

Conclusion

All the Seleucid finds from Nahavand, such as the Greek inscription, the stone altar, bronze figures of the Greek Gods, column bases, capital and potsherds were discovered in the same location at Do-Khaharan, indicating the most likely site of the Greek temple at Iranian Laodicea.

Acknowledgements

I would like to express my sincere appreciation to the late Dr M. Azarnoush, A. Torabi, A. Farzane, S. Nickrooz and all members of the field team.

References

  • HAKEMI, A. 1959 Katibe bozorg Nahavand. Majaleh Bastanshenasi 1&2: 4-8.
    - 1990. The excavation of Khorhe. East and West 40(1-4): 11-41.
  • HERZFELD, E. 1941. Iran in the ancient east. Oxford: Oxford University Press.
  • LITVINSKY, B.A & I.R. PICHIKIAN. 1998. The Ionic capital from the Temple of Oxus (Northen Bacteria). Iranica Antiqua 33: 233-58.
  • LUSCHET, H. 1996. Die Ionische basis, in W. Kelaiss & P. Kalmayer (ed.) Bisutun: Ausgrabungen und Forschungen in den Jahren 1963-1967 (Teheraner Forschungen 7): 57. Berlin: Gebr. Mann.
  • GHIRSHMAN, R. 1963. Perse: Proto-iraniens. Paris: Gallimard.
  • MASOUMI, Gh. 1978. Gozaresh-e gamane zani dar Nahavand,markaz asnad sazman miras farhangi, sanaye dasti va gardeshgari. Unpublished report prepared for the Iranian Center for Archaeological Research (in Persian).
  • RAHBAR, M. 1976. Remarks on some Seleucid objects in the Iran Bastan museum, in Akten des VII. Internationalen Kongressses für Iranische Kunst und Archäologie, Munchen 7.-10. September 1976 (Archäologische Mitteilungen aus Iran, Ergänzungsband 6): 249-76. Berlin. D. Reimer.
    - 2003. Kavosh-hae bastan shenai-e Khorhe, entesharat-e sazman miras-e farhangi-e ostan-e Markazi. Tehran: Pazineh Press (in Persian).
    - 2005. Gozaresh barrasi va gamane zani be manzor-e shenasaie mabad Laodisea, Pazhoheshkadeh bastan shenasi Unpublished report for the Iranian Center for Archaeological Research (in Persian).
  • RAHBAR, M. & S. ALIBAIGI. In press. Gozaresh pazhoheshhae bastan shenasi bemanzor-e makanyabi mabad-e Laodisea dar Nahavand, tabestan 1384. Bastan shenasi 6 (in Persian).
  • ROBERT, L. 1949. Inscriptions Seleucides de Phrygie et d'iran. Hellenica 7: 6-29.

Authors

Note: Author information correct at time of publication

* Author for correspondence.

  • Mehdi Rahbar
    Nahavand Archaeological Project (Director), ICHHO, Azadi St., Nabshe Zanjan Jonobi, Tehran, Iran
  • Sajjad Alibaigi*
    Institute of Archaeology, University of Tehran, No. 1731, Pesian Station, Vali Asr Street, Tehran, Iran (Email: sadjadalibaigi@gmail.com).