Boss from a disc-headed pin

Iran

Not on view

This round plaque is head of a bronze pin. It features an image of a human in repousse, facing forward. The face has a broad nose, almond-shaped eyes, a thin, smiling mouth and a prominent unibrow. The hair is parted in the middle. None of the pin’s shaft remains.

This pinhead was excavated at Surkh Dum, a settlement site in Luristan in the Zagros Mountains of western Iran. It was found in a structure interpreted as a sanctuary and was thus probably an offering to a god. Such pins were probably used to fasten clothing and as objects of adornment in their own right.

Boss from a disc-headed pin, Bronze, Iran

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