Der Goldschatz von Sânnicolau Mare (ungarisch: Nagyszentmiklós) 139 BRUNO OVERLAET SĀSĀNIAN, CENTRAL ASIAN AND BYZANTINE ICONOGRAPHY – PATTERNED SILKS AND CROSS-CULTURAL EXCHANGE The so-called Sāsānian influence has been an important element in most studies on Late Antique European treasures such as the one from Sânnicolau Mare in Romania and the one from Mala Pereshchepina in Ukraine. In some cases, there are undeniable Sāsānian items present, e.g. the Shapur II hunting plate in the Mala Pereshchepina treasure, but many other items belong to types that were used in the Sāsānian Empire but were not exclusive to it 1 . A gold ewer in the Mala Pereshchepina treasure e.g., is of a type, although known from Sāsānian Iran that was produced all along the Silk Road. It is of course enticing to link such exceptional regal treasures directly to the Sāsānian Empire, either as diplomatic gifts, trade or booty. Yet, the situation is much more complex. Sāsānian objects were distributed all along the Silk Road and Sāsānian motives were introduced and could be borrowed or adapted in widely different cultures. This complexity is well illustrated by the presence of imported Sāsānian faceted glass next to a Japanese samit with unambiguous Sāsānian style hunting scenes in the Shoso-in 2 at Nara / Japan. Much of what is usually regarded to be Sāsānian iconography came to belong to an iconographic Koinè within the Late Antique world around the Mediterranean as well as in the Central Asian and Far Eastern world. Likewise, the Sāsānian Empire opened up to neighbouring cultures and assimilated and adapted elements of foreign origin. The relations with the Byzantine court could be hostile as well as amicable and Theophylact Simo- catta reports e.g. on the Byzantine emperor’s gift of presents and craftsmen and even on the building of a Byzantine palace at Ctesiphon / Iraq 3 . In the other direction, Sāsānian themes and decorative elements were prominent in the 6 th century church of St Polyeuktos, built on the order of Anicia Juliana at Constantinople 4 . Within such an internationalised world, it is often diffcult, if not impossible, to distinguish between import, imitation or direct and indirect contacts or infuences. Moreover, the same image could be interpreted very differently when placed in a different cultural context. In the present contribution we will look at a number of the so-called Sāsānian iconographic elements in the Sânnicolau Mare Treasure and evaluate the role of fgured samits as a possible medium for cross-cultural exchange. The scale of the production and trade in patterned silks far surpassed that of e. g. Sāsānian silverware, yet it often receives far less attention in archaeological and art historical studies. The number of preserved textiles is certainly limited but recent excavations such as at Dulan in Tibet have brought out their variety and their importance as a factor in the distribution of both patterns and iconographic themes. However, before discussing the textile iconography, it is necessary to look briefy at the shape of some of the Sânnicolau Mare vessels and their possible relation with the Sāsānian culture. THE SO-CALLED SĀSĀNIAN VESSEL SHAPES IN THE SÂNNICOLAU MARE TREASURE If one places bottle no. 2 next to a series of Sāsānian silver bottles (fg. 1) there certainly is a striking resem- blance 5 . The cylindrical foot, the bulbous decorated body set off from the high neck by a raised band and the vertical rim at the top, these are all elements that are easily recognised. The way the decoration on the Sânnicolau Mare bottle is placed in circles with foral elements above and below their connection, links it