A new approach to the Hasanlu gold bowl: interpreting its weapons depictions

Abstract

The Hasanlu gold bowl was discovered in 1958 by Robert H. Dyson, Jr. Since the bowl was discovered in a milieu without text, its origin and the ethnological context of its manufacture have been long discussed. Most of these studies are concentrated on the description of the figures and scenes depicted on the bowl. Among these images, there are representations of weapons depicted separately or in the hands of the persons in the scenes. These weapons are the only images on the bowl with actual examples that have been discovered in archaeological excavations in different geographical regions in Iran and its adjacent areas. Their study could provide reliable clues concerning the origin of the makers and users of the bowl as well as its chronology. The present paper is the summary of the results of the study on the weapons depicted on the bowl, as well as the iconography, and chronological remarks on the bowl based on the parallel examples from archaeological excavations.