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Achaemenid Silver and Gold Horn Cup
This object combines both Syrian and Persian styles. While the shape of the cup echoes a classical Persian wine-pourer (rhyton), it actually functioned as a drinking cup. Large animal-headed cups were popular in Syria in earlier periods. The silver portion was hammered from thick silver sheet but the protome at the front was made from much thinner gold sheet and is in the shape of a crouching bull. The style of the bull is closely related to earlier Syrian representations. The drinking cup holds the equivalent of over 2 bottles of wine. According to the 5th century BCE Greek historian Herodotus, the Persians were very fond of wine. It was found in Aleppo, Syrian but said to come from Kahramanmaras (Turkey). Achaemenid Period, 6th-4th centuries BCE. (The British Museum, London)
