AN URARTIAN BRONZE HELMET

CIRCA FIRST HALF OF THE 8TH CENTURY B.C.

Details

AN URARTIAN BRONZE HELMET
CIRCA FIRST HALF OF THE 8TH CENTURY B.C.
Of hammered sheet, conical in form, tapering sharply to a tall point, the front with a lightning symbol in raised relief, a central rib extending upward, three horizontal ridges encircling below, two thick wire loops attached to two perforations along the edge at each side
12 in. (30.5 cm.) high

Provenance

with N. Koutoulakis (1910-1995), Paris and Geneva, in the 1970s; thence by descent.

Lot Essay

Based on similar Urartian helmets that bear royal inscriptions, scholars believe that the lighting symbol indicates the property of the king. It is unclear whether it would have been worn by the ruler himself or rather by the men fighting on his behalf. The design's symbolism is also not apparent. Some have hypothesized that it represents horns or antlers, while others believe that it symbolizes the weather god (pp. 124-125 in P. Calmeyer in R. Merhav, ed., Urartu: a Metalworking Center in the First Millennium B.C.). For similar examples see nos. 13, 15 and 16 in op. cit.

More from Antiquities

View All