Arjan Bowl (eahaa00253), Wiley's The Encyclopedia of Ancient History Asia and Africa

One of the most distinctive and unique pieces of metalwork surviving from ancient Elam is the bronze Arjan bowl. The large bowl was deposited in the early 6th century BCE in the tomb of an elite man near the modern town of Behbahan in Khuzestan province, Iran. According to its name inscription, it belonged to Kidin-Hutran, son of Kurlush; probably the man buried in the tomb inside a bronze “bathtub”-style coffin. The bowl is decorated on its interior with registers of narrative scenes centered on a ruler, possibly the Kidin-Hutran, son of Kurlush named in the inscription. The ruler is depicted as a participant in various activities progressing from the mountainous wilderness (a hunting party, a drinking ceremony outside a yurt), to the periphery of a city (battle, date harvesting, fishing), to the interior of the city (a tribute ceremony, feasting). The narrative scenes encircle a register of lions and bulls running around a central rosette. The bronze bowl was amongst several items of metalwork (bronze, silver, and gold) in the Arjan tomb assemblage attesting to both the skill of the artisans producing metalwork for Elam’s elite at the time and the range of foreign artistic influences integrated into their repertoire.