Cleveland Museum of Art

Axel Shaft Cup

Date

c. 800–700 BCE

Medium

bronze, cast

Culture

Iran, Luristan

Department

Egyptian and Ancient Near Eastern Art

Institution

Cleveland Museum of Art

Luristan, on Iran's western frontier, and Markik and Amlash in the north were sites of flourishing civilizations. However, since Luristan left little in the way of written records, all that we know about it has been guessed from their works of art. One of the ancient centers of the horse-breeding industry, Luristan is best known for its bronze objects, many of them horse or chariot trappings. Luristan supplied the Assyrian Empire not only with horses but also the hardware associated with them.

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