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Axel Shaft Cup
From the collection of Cleveland Museum of Art. Free to download, adapt and use — no permission needed.
About this work
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.
Cleveland Museum of Art’s own descriptionCredit lineAxel Shaft Cup, c. 800–700 BCE. Iran, Luristan. Bronze, cast; diameter: 8.6 cm (3 3/8 in.); overall: 7 cm (2 3/4 in.). The Cleveland Museum of Art, The Charles W. Harkness Endowment Fund, 1930.729