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Top for standard

ca. 8th century BCE
Not on view
In the early first millennium B.C., inhabitants of the mountainous region of western Iran known as Luristan manufactured an astonishing variety of bronze objects, including weapons, standards, jewelry, horse ornaments, and vessels, most of which have been recovered from cemeteries. The nature of the society and economy that produced these bronzes is not known with certainty but seems to have been predominantly nomadic.

This standard top would have been joined to a pole or other support. It is not certain how such a standard would have been used, but it may be significant that this type of object has been found only in graves. The object depicts a scene of long-standing significance in ancient Near Eastern art, that of the "master of animals." The man holds in each hand the throat of a demonic creature, while human and bird heads appear below.

Artwork Details

Object Information
  • Title: Top for standard
  • Period: Iron Age III
  • Date: ca. 8th century BCE
  • Geography: Iran, probably from Luristan
  • Culture: Iran
  • Medium: Bronze
  • Dimensions: 6 1/2 × 2 3/8 × 7/8 in. (16.5 × 6.1 × 2.3 cm)
  • Credit Line: Gift of Laura White and Fred Randolph, 1996
  • Object Number: 1996.82.1
  • Curatorial Department: Ancient West Asian Art

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7011. Top for standard

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