Bracelet with goat's head terminals

Achaemenid

Not on view

This gold bracelet has terminals in the form of goat heads. The details of the heads are incised, including the nostrils, mouth, chin hair, eyes and eyebrows. Pointed ears extend from the backs of their heads. Curved horns rise from the tops of their heads and connect to the bracelet.

Goats, specifically wild mountain goats, were an important aspect of ancient Persian iconography. Unlike Mesopotamia, which is flat, Iran has many mountains, and mountain goats, with their distinctive curved horns, became important markers of Iranian identity, even before the region came to be known as ‘Iran.’

Bracelet with goat's head terminals, Gold, Achaemenid

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