This inscribed dome-shaped seal is engraved with a camel and an inscription that runs from 2 to 10 o'clock counterclockwise (in impression). This motif is executed in the conventional style. The camel motif is associated with Verethragna's incarnation as a camel, and the iconography found on seals takes on an intentional character stimulated by the accumulation of positive traits that would have shown seal owners in a favorable light. The camel on Sasanian seals carried the same symbolic significance as an image of Verethragna. This meant the seal owner was under the god's protection and that he acknowledged for himself all of the features associated with a camel, including perseverance and determination. In the case of Zoroastrian priests, the symbolism of the camel as a beast of burden can be associated with the Mazdaic concepts of bearing knowledge and spreading the light of faith.

Inscription: wnd'tgwšnspy / vandād-gušnasp
Translation: Vandād-Gušnasp (Personal Name)

Translation provided by Touraj Daryaee and Kiarash Gholami

References:

Brunner, Christopher J. 1978. Sasanian Stamp Seals in the Metropolitan Museum of Art. New York.

Göbl, Robert. 1973. Der Sāsānidische Siegelkanon. Braunschweig: Klinkhardt & Biermann.

Jakubiak, Krzysztof. 2011. "Some Remarks on the Camel on Sasanian Seals." Studies in Ancient Art and Civilization 15: 107--115.