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Afghanistan: Hidden Treasures from the National Museum, Kabul
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Ribbed bowl (Greek phiale), 1st century A.D.
Afghanistan, Tillya Tepe, tomb IV
Gold; H. 1 5/8 x Diam. 9 in. (4 x 23 cm)
National Museum of Afghanistan, Kabul, 04.40.381
Photo: © Thierry Ollivier / Musée Guimet
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Within the goods deposed into the grave of the "chieftain," this gold bowl conveys a very special significance. It belongs to a type of Greek, shallow drinking bowl, or phiale, with thirty-two radiating ribs. On the outside of the rim an inscription in Greek letters gives the weight of the object. The bowl was found upside-down under the skull of the deceased and can be interpreted as a luxurious version of the wooden cushion often found in nomadic graves in Siberia. According to the Greek historian Herodotos, it was a symbol of royal power among the Scythians.
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