Tol-e Qaleh Seyfābād (TQS), a Major Provincial Centre of the Sasanian Period in Bišābuhr Province, Fars, Iran: Preliminary Excavation Report

International audience; The site of Tol-e Qaleh Seyfābād (TQS) is located in the centre of the Sasanian province of Bišābuhr, in southwestern Iran. The first season of archaeological excavations at this site in revealed new evidence of the Sasanian period related to advanced agricultural policy, large-scale date production, and commercial and provincial administrative systems, as well as other activities in the heartland of the empire. The finds from this limited excavation indicate that agriculture was an important source of income in what is now the province of Fars and the newly identified administrative toponyms impressed on bullae show that TQS acted as a centre for collection, storage and processing of the agriculture products of the date palm. In terms of its administrative system, a more detailed picture of the Bišābuhr province has emerged, resulting from the identification of more new administrations. Moreover, new evidence relating to architecture, pottery, glass and other industries from TQS demonstrate that this site was one of the major hubs in Bišābuhr province during the Sasanian period.