244 Iran. J. Ichthyol. (December 2015), 2(4): 244–261 Received: September 16, 2015 © 2015 Iranian Society of Ichthyology Accepted: November 25, 2015 P-ISSN: 2383-1561; E-ISSN: 2383-0964 doi: http://www.ijichthyol.org Fish imagery in Iranian artwork Zohreh MORADI* Department of Crafts, University of Hormozgan, Bandar Abbas, Iran. * Email: zo.moradi@hormozgan.ac.ir Abstract: Iranian art is one of the richest artistic heritages in the world comprising different fields such as architecture, paintings, weaving, pottery, calligraphy, metalworking, petrography, etc. This art had inseparable link with nature; especially with plants and animals in different eras; and it has been interwoven with poetry and literature so that its glory, beauty and expression have increased over time. In this study, based on available resources and collections in the museums of the world, fish imagery depicted in ancient Iranian art has been studied and its importance is dis- cussed from different perspectives. Results showed that the use of plant and animal imagery, especially fish, in the ancient works such as stone, clay, bronze and fabric (textile) has a long history of several thousand years and the fish has been used as a symbol of religion, culture, social relationships and economy. On the other hand, fish imagery presents the past fish fauna, and along with the archaeological remains, provides information about the fish biodiversity, which is usually consist with the recent ichthyodiversity. Keywords: Fish imagery, Archaeology, Ichthyodiversity, Iranian artwork. Introduction Fishes constitute slightly more than one-half of the total number of recognized living vertebrate species including amphibians, reptilians, birds and mammals (Nelson 2006). Fishes exhibit enormous diversity in their morphology, in the habitats they occupy, and in their biology (Nelson 2006). This situation is also observed in marine, brackish and freshwater fishes of Iran. This diversity has helped human beings to use fish as symbols in religious, cultural, artistic, social, economical and political practices. Surveys show that numerous fishermen offered some of their catch to temples, sacrificed them for Gods or abstained from consuming them on particular days. This all shows to what extent fishes had an integral role in ceremonies and rituals in the past. Archaeological findings have uncovered fish as a fairly constant motif with which fish’s various taxonomies are revealed. Fish have been the subject of works of art for a long time in many cultures (Moyle & Moyle 1991). Salmon, Trout (Salmonidae) and Pike (Esocidae) were painted or sculptured by CroMagnon people in Caves in France at least 14000 years ago (Ruspoli 1986). The ancient Egyptians depicted many species of Nile River fishes on the walls of their tombs (Klingender 1971). Fish designs in ancient Egypt were common and showed little alteration for 1500 years (Moyle & Moyle 1991). In addition, common carp, Cyprinus carpio were frequently the subjects of paintings by the ancient Chinese. Fishing scenes are found on the decorative pottery of the Hellenic Greeks, and many Mediterranean fish species can be identified on Roman murals and mosaics (Klingender 1971). Ancient Persians believed in sanctity of four elements: water, wind, earth, and fire. They also believed that fish is the symbol of water and is connected with the Anahita, the Goddess of water. According to these beliefs, water and fish are symbols of life, fertility and blessing. Fish designs in ancient Persia also showed the important role of them in rituals and religious ceremonies, decoration,