Gennadii E. Afanasjev

 Institute of Archaeology RAS, Moscow (gennady.afanasiev@mail.ru)

 Key words: the Sasanian dynasty, Iran, the bird Varagn, intaglio, the Alans, Zoroastrianism, the Saltovo-Mayaki culture, pair wings, the all-seeds tree, Khvarenah.

The author of the article presents the research of a Sasanian intaglio found in the Nizhnelubianskii cemetery of the Saltovo-Mayaki culture of the 8th – 9th cc. The arrangement scheme consists of the motifs of the pair wings and a plant with three flowers. The author draws a conclusion that the Zoroastrian idea of the Axis mundi spread in the Sasanian art and marked by the all-seeds tree which is supported by the pair wings is a symbol of the victory, luck, wellness and divine protection.