Fluted bowl with inscription in three languages
In the sixth century BCE, under the leadership of Cyrus the Great (r. 538–530 BCE), the Achaemenid Persian dynasty overthrew Median kings and established an empire that would eventually extend from eastern Europe and Egypt to India. Achaemenid rulers included such famed kings as Cyrus, Darius I (r. 521–486 BCE), and Xerxes I (r. 485–465 BCE). They built palaces and ceremonial centers at Pasargadae, Persepolis, Susa, and Babylon. The Achaemenid Dynasty lasted for two centuries and was ended by the sweeping conquests of Alexander the Great, who destroyed Persepolis in 331 BCE. The Achaemenid period is well documented by the descriptions of Greek and Old Testament writers as well as by abundant archaeological remains.
Fluted gold and silver bowls and plates of the Achaemenid period continue a tradition begun in the Assyrian Empire. While they were given as royal gifts to favored courtiers or visitors, it seems that they were also valued and exchanged simply for the weight of the precious metals from which they were made. Their inscriptions use Old Persian, the language of the Achaemenid Great King (in this case, Darius I or II), often alongside the southwest Iranian language Elamite, and Akkadian, used historically in Iraq and across the former Assyrian and Babylonian Empires.
Achaemenid, reign of Darius I, 522-486 CE, or Darius II, 432-405 CE, Iran.
Met Museum, New York (54.3.1)
Fluted bowl with inscription in three languages
In the sixth century BCE, under the leadership of Cyrus the Great (r. 538–530 BCE), the Achaemenid Persian dynasty overthrew Median kings and established an empire that would eventually extend from eastern Europe and Egypt to India. Achaemenid rulers included such famed kings as Cyrus, Darius I (r. 521–486 BCE), and Xerxes I (r. 485–465 BCE). They built palaces and ceremonial centers at Pasargadae, Persepolis, Susa, and Babylon. The Achaemenid Dynasty lasted for two centuries and was ended by the sweeping conquests of Alexander the Great, who destroyed Persepolis in 331 BCE. The Achaemenid period is well documented by the descriptions of Greek and Old Testament writers as well as by abundant archaeological remains.
Fluted gold and silver bowls and plates of the Achaemenid period continue a tradition begun in the Assyrian Empire. While they were given as royal gifts to favored courtiers or visitors, it seems that they were also valued and exchanged simply for the weight of the precious metals from which they were made. Their inscriptions use Old Persian, the language of the Achaemenid Great King (in this case, Darius I or II), often alongside the southwest Iranian language Elamite, and Akkadian, used historically in Iraq and across the former Assyrian and Babylonian Empires.
Achaemenid, reign of Darius I, 522-486 CE, or Darius II, 432-405 CE, Iran.
Met Museum, New York (54.3.1)