Wall decoration with pomegranates in palmettes ca. 6th century A.D. Sasanian Stucco reliefs were commonly used to decorate the iwans and reception halls of elite Sasanian houses. Many examples were found in excavated houses in the Ctesiphon area including this fragment from Umm ez-Zatir consisting of a repeating pomegranate in palmette design. Multiple fragments of this pattern were found during the excavations indicating that it may have been used over a larger area. The use of molds to make stuccos allowed for the creation of large scale repetitive patterns such as geometric and vegetal motifs. The city of Ctesiphon was located on the east bank of the Tigris River, 20 miles (32 km) south of modern Baghdad in Iraq. It flourished for more than 800 years as the capital of the Parthians and the Sasanians, the last two dynasties to rule the ancient Near East before the Islamic conquest in the seventh century. Systematic excavations in the Ctesiphon area were undertaken by an expedition i