Luristan bronze

From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

some canonical Luristan bronze artifacts including harnesses and disc headed pins in the Louvre Museum

Luristan bronze is a term used for a set of ancient bronze artifacts of various individual forms which mainly have been recovered from Luristan and Kermanshah areas in west central Iran. The typical Luristan style bronze artifacts include a great number of weapons, ornaments, tools, and ceremonial objects. The earliest bronze artifacts found in the Luristan area date back to fourth millennium BCE. During the (Iranian) Bronze Age (c. 3000/2900-1300/1250 BC), the bronze objects are related to those of neighboring regions in Mesopotamia and on the Iranian plateau. The characteristic Luristan style objects all belong to the (Iranian) Iron Age (c. 1300/1250-650 BC). In 1930 a large quantity of canonical Luristan bronze artifacts appeared on the Iranian and European antiquities markets as a result of plundering of tombs in this region. Since 1938 several scientific excavations were performed by American, Danish, British, Belgian, and Iranian archaeologists on the graveyards with stone build tombs in the northern Pish Kuh valleys and the southern Pusht Kuh of Luristan.

some canonical Luristan bronze artifacts including swords and axes in the Louvre Museum

[edit] References

Fleming S.J., Pigott V.C., Swann C.P. and Nash S.K. 2005. Bronze in Luristan: Preliminary analytical evidence from copper/bronze artifacts excavated by the Belgian mission in Iran, Iranica Antiqua, XL:35-64.
Ghirshman, R. 1954. Iran: from the earliest times to the Islamic conquest, A volume in the Pelican archaeology series, Penguin books.
Meier-Arendt W. 1984. Bronzen and Keramik aus Luristan und anderen Gebieten Irans im Museum für Vor- and Frühgeschichte, Frankfurt am Main.
Moorey P.R.S. 1974. Ancient bronzes from Luristan, British Museum. London.
Muscarella O.W. 2004. Bronzes of Luristan, in: Yarshater E. (ed) Encyclopedia Iranica, Colombia University, Center for Iranian studies, pp 478-483.
Overlaet B. 2004. Luristan Metalwork in the Iron Age, in: Stöllner T., Slotta R. and Vatandoust A. (eds) Persias Ancient Splendour (Persiens Antike Pracht) Mining, Handicraft and Archaeology, Deutsches Bergbau-Museum, Bochum, pp 328-338.
Rickenbach J. 1992. Magier mit Feuer und Erz, Bronzekunst der frühen Bergvölker in Luristan, Iran, Museum Rietberg Zürich.
Zahlhaas G. 2002. Luristan: Antike Bronzen aus dem Iran. Archäologische Staatssammlung München, Museum für Vor-und Frühgeschichte, München.