Urartu Silver Pin with Three Eagles

£ 395.00

An Urartu silver pin with a tapering round-section body pierced transversely at the top for suspension. A substantial finial features at the top and displays three endorsed eagle heads with feather decorations and emphasized facial features, such as beaks and eyes. The finial sits on a baluster-shaped central section with vertical rows of annulets enclosed within parallel lines. A ribbed barrel-shaped section is at the base of the final which slops into a long pin with sharp point.

Date: 8th-6th century BC
Provenance: From the collection of a deceased London, UK, gentleman; 1970-1999
Condition: Very fine condition

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Urartu refers predominantly to the region situated between Asia Minor, Mesopotamia, and the Caucasus mountains, in what was later to be known as the Armenian Highlands. The Kingdom of Urartu was centred around Lake Van and corresponds to the biblical Kingdom of Ararat. Lasting only two centuries, the Kingdom mysteriously disappeared in the 6th century BC and was rediscovered as a distinct culture in the 19th century. Its history remains fragmentary due to a lack of written sources, most of which come from contemporary enemy states such as Assyria. The state controlled large areas of agricultural production, and prospered on flourishing animal husbandry and metal and architectural production. The Urartu language is known to us from cuneiform inscriptions and was similar to the language spoken by the Hurrians.

Dimensions W 1.3 x H 7.6 cm
Culture

Region

Metal

Reference: For a similar item, please see The Metropolitan Museum, New York, item 1989.281.21

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