Several local polities and kingdoms in the north, northwest, and west of the modern territory of Iran were located on the periphery of the great kingdoms during the Iron Age (circa the first millennium BC). These governments were not only in contact with each other but also with the major empires, through war, domination or trading – and in some cases with their distant neighbours, too. These local Iron Age societies were large-scale producers of various types of metalwork; many of these artefacts were decorated with animals and fantastic creatures. Such objects have been found extensively throughout this area and beyond.
This paper discusses the various zoomorphic motifs used on metalwork in Iran during the ninth to seventh centuries BC in detail and gives a general overview of metalwork produced by Iran’s neighbours.Several local polities and kingdoms in the north, northwest, and west of the modern territory of Iran were located on the periphery of the great kingdoms during the Iron Age (circa the first millennium BC). These governments were not only in contact with each other but also with the major empires, through war, domination or trading – and in some cases with their distant neighbours, too. These local Iron Age societies were large-scale producers of various types of metalwork; many of these artefacts were decorated with animals and fantastic creatures. Such objects have been found extensively throughout this area and beyond.
This paper discusses the various zoomorphic motifs used on metalwork in Iran during the ninth to seventh centuries BC in detail and gives a general overview of metalwork produced by Iran’s neighbours.
