Boss from a disc-headed pin
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.
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.
Artwork Details
- Title: Boss from a disc-headed pin
- Period: Iron Age III
- Date: ca. 8th–7th century BCE
- Geography: Iran, Luristan, Surkh Dum
- Culture: Iran
- Medium: Bronze
- Dimensions: 2 1/16 × 1 7/8 × 1/2 in. (5.2 × 4.7 × 1.3 cm)
- Credit Line: Rogers Fund, 1943
- Object Number: 43.102.10
- Curatorial Department: Ancient West Asian Art
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Iran
ca. 8th century BCE
Iran
ca. 10th–8th century BCE
Iran
ca. 9th century BCE
Iran
ca. 9th century BCE
Achaemenid
ca. 5th century BCE
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