Rhyton in the shape of a bird

This burnished ceramic vessel is known as a ‘rhyton’ (plural ‘rhyta’). While most vessels have only opening, rhyta have two separate ones for filling and for pouring or drinking. They also generally have sculptural elements in the form of animals, people or mythical creatures.

This rhyton is shaped like a football. A neck with a flaring rim emerges from the top, and a tubular spout rises from one end and terminates in the form of a bird’s head. The eyes, now missing, were presumably inlaid originally. The rhyton stands on three legs: two at the front where a bird’s legs would be, and one at the back for support. Two rows of incised lines, suggestive of wings, run from the vessel’s neck to the back in an arc. There are also incised hatch marks on the front and bottom of the vessel. The overall effect creates the impression of a bird, perhaps a pigeon.

At least two similar rhyta, both of Iron Age date, have been excavated in Gilan Province in northern Iran, one in a cemetery at Amlash and another near Maryan in Talesh County; this rhyton thus likely originates in northern Iran as well. Its function is unclear. In later periods rhyta were used as drinking vessels, but this use is not attested in the Iron Age. More likely this vessel was used for pouring, as were other contemporary animal-shaped vessels from places such as Marlik, Sialk and Luristan. Whether this pouring took place in the context of dining or ritual is impossible to say, but it is certain that an elaborate vessel like this one would only be used on special occasions.