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Griffin-shaped Horse Bit
| Collection number | 銅050-0342 |
|---|---|
| Provenance | Luristan, Iran |
| Period | Late Bronze–Iron Age |
| Date | ca. 1500-700 B.C. |
| Material | Bronze |
| Dimension | H. 11.8 cm |
| Comment | Speaking of creatures of fancy with wings, the Griffin and Pegasus of Greek mythology come to mind. Their origins are in the Orient, and the oldest images of them are seen in seals from Susa, southwestern Iran, from the third millennium BC. Those images are seen frequently afterwards around Assyria of the ninth to seventh centuries BC. As for the imaginative animal of Sumer/Babylonia, the composition beast, which has elements of the bird of prey, is rare, because southern Mesopotamia, where early civilization occurred, has few large birds of prey. |
| Classification | bronze harness |
| Keyword | Green,Gray Strong Western Asia,Iran,Luristan Metal,Copper alloy,Bronze,Metal,Copper Harness,Horse bit Creature,Sacred animal,Griffin |