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Chlorite is a distinctive gray-green
stone that
was utilized during antiquity for the
fabrication
of luxurious containers in the greater
Gulf region
as well as southern Iran. Excavations at
the
archeological site of Tepe Yaya, dated
to the
mid-third millennium B.C., in Iran
unearthed the
ruins of workshops where such vessels
were
discovered. As well, raw materials used
for their
manufacture, chlorite as well as
steatite, quarried
from the nearby hills were also present.
On the
island of Tarut, in the Gulf close to
the Arabian
coast, over six hundred complete and
fragmentary vessels and weights have
been
unearthed. Because many partially
formed
objects found on Tarut were discovered
next to
chunks of unworked chlorite, it has been
surmised that this island was once a
center of
production for these works.
Found throughout the ancient Near East,
from
Syria to the Indus Valley, revealing the
extensive
trade routes of the time, these works
are
classified by modern historians as
belonging to
the “Intercultural Style,” called so
because they
derive iconographical elements from both
Near
Eastern and Harappan traditions. Much
like the
written cuneiform alphabet was used by
several
distinct cultures throughout the ancient
Near East
to dictate their individual spoken
languages, so
such vessels were created by various
cultures,
each adorning the works with their own
distinct
aesthetic style. Many examples were
discovered
in the ruins of palace and temple
structures or
entombed in the graves of the nobility,
including
Sumerian Mesopotamia. Clearly these
vessels
were among the most precious luxury
items that
could only be afforded by the ruling
elite.
This tall conical vase with a flaring
rim has been
decorated with the image of a long-
haired
avian-headed deity riding upon the backs
of two
bulls. Similar compositions have been
described
as portraying “masters of the beasts.”
Here, the
master of the beasts holds an arching
band over
the backs of the bulls that flows
behinds their
heads and falls towards the base where
they
bend at sharp angles. Most likely this
band
represents a stream or river. Such
iconography
seems to originate in eastern Iran and
Central
Asia, where the theme of man dominating
over
the animals appeared to be quite
popular.
According to some scholars, the wild
beasts
represent chaos and are contrasted to
the
humans, who display control over nature
and the
promise of fertility in the form of
water.
- (X.0314 W)
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