Elam was an ancient kingdom of Asia, situated
north of the Persian Gulf and east of the Tigris
River, and corresponding approximately to the
present-day province of Khuzistan in Iran. The
capital of Elam and its most fabled city was Sûsa,
today the city of Shûsh. This powerful empire
has been overshadowed in history by the rival
kingdoms of Babylon and Assyria. However, their
extraordinary metalwork survives to this day, a
testament to the expertise of their craftsman.
This shallow silver vessel demonstrates the
absolute mastery of the Elamite artisans. The
center of the bowl is incised with two concentric
circles. From here, radiate eleven gadroons
interspersed with plant shoots, all delicately
hammered out of the silver. On the exterior, the
plant shoots have been embellished with incised
details of leaves and stalks. Above this motif,
below the flaring lip, is a series of four finely
engraved lines repeated three times. Perhaps the
most fascinating, and important, feature of this
beautiful vessel is a inscribe dedication in Neo-
Elamite cuneiform script. Found on the inside of
the lip, the text can be translated as, “Unsak,
king of Samati, son of Zi’uttiyash.” This vessel,
once the prized possession of a king, is even
more valuable today because of the obscurity of
the inscription. These two kings are only known
through silver vessels such as this; even the
precise location of ancient Samati remains a
mystery. While King Unsak once ruled over a
vast empire, no doubt amassing countless
treasures, today his memory is preserved
through the remnants of his wealth. This vessel
is not just a gorgeous work of art, but also the
only lasting tribute to a life, a ruler, and an
empire.
- (PF.5728)
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