Persian Empire: Artifact 2

Golden Bowl

 

     "This gold vessel was a royal offering to the Persian king Darius I (522-486 BC). The recipient himself is commemorated in a dedication, inscribed beneath the rim, which proclaims 'Darius, Great King' in the three official languages of the Achaemenid empire: Persian, Babylonian, and Elamite. To judge from its shape, this vessel was probably used for libation- the ceremonial pouring of wine in honor of a god. It may also have been used as a drinking cup (known in ancient Greek as a phiale). The bowl bears a stylized floral pattern consisting of a central rosette surrounded by the petals of a lotus flower, a design commonly found on drinking cups of the period. Similar metal vessels are often shown carried by servants or tributaries on the stairway reliefs of the Persian capital at Persepolis. Fashioned from solid gold, this vessel was cast in a stone mold, and its relief decoration was produced by a process of hammering from the interior, known as repoussé."

Works Cited:
Information: Cincinnati Art Museum. "Bowl of Darius the Great." Cincinnati, OH:
     Cincinnati Art Museum, 2011. Plaque.
Picture: http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/3/3e/Bowl_of_Darius_the_Great,_Iran,_Achaemenid_period,_reign_of_Darius_I,_522-486_BC,_hammered_gold_with_chased_decoraton_-_Cincinnati_Art_Museum_-_DSC03270.JPG