Ancient Near East, Achaemenid Persian Empire, ca. 500 to 330 BCE. A pretty bronze basin or phiale, a special libation bowl used for holding wine, with a hollow, rounded, raised boss, known as an omphalos, in the center. The omphalos is thought to have symbolized the navel of the earth, the central point of power that all things revolved around. The sides of the bowl are fluted below a slightly pronounced rim, with a beautiful incised floral motif at the top of each flute. The rim flares outward above this as if blooming, mirroring the floral shape. Size: 6.25" W x 1.85" H (15.9 cm x 4.7 cm)
Libation bowls, known as phiale, were used across a wide geographical area - from Greece to Tibet, throughout the ancient Near East and Central Asia. These shallow bowls for holding wine in ritual and ceremonial settings were made from many materials - glass, ceramic, and many kinds of metal. They functioned both as tableware and as wealth - they could be stored in the royal treasury or given as gifts to people they were hoping to influence. Fluted bowls like this one seem to have been inspired by the Assyrian period. Their form is remarkably similar across the Achaemenid Empire, reflecting a central iconography and artistic style; they were used by the elite to signify their membership in a rarified club of powerful people.
Provenance: private Orange County, California, USA collection, acquired before 2000
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#153684
Condition
Intact, with a pretty mottled patina and deposits on interior.