CIRCA 7TH CENTURY B.C.

Formed of hammered sheet gold, this long plaque is ornamented in repoussé and enhanced by incision with a frieze of stags walking to the right. There are perforations along the edges for attachment, perhaps to leather or cloth. These two joining fragments are thought to be part of the Ziwiye Treasure, a hoard of ancient objects in precious metal and other materials found on the ancient citadel on Ziwiye in Kurdestan, east of Saqqiz in Northwestern Iran, now widely dispersed in museum and private collections. Some of the Ziwiye Treasure is in the koine of Neo-Assyrian art, while others exhibit stylistic affinities with the Scythian world (see pp. 180-181 in E.C. Bunker, Nomadic Art of the Eastern Eurasian Steppes).