Illustration
Four views of a Sassanian silver vessel with four female figures, from the Sassanian Empire (224-651 CE), modern-day Iran, c. 300-500 CE.
Cleveland Museum of Art.
The four female figures on the vessel may be interpreted as dancers or as maenads, followers of Dionysos, the Greek god of wine. In earlier scholarship the figures have been interpreted as depictions of the Zoroastrian fertility goddess Anahita.
Related Images
Sassanian Silver Plate with the Goddess Anahita
Sassanian Coin Depicting Anahita
Temple of Anahita at Kangavar, Iran
Head of the Goddess Anahita
Sassanian Silver Plate with King Hunting Rams
Sassanian Silver Ewer with Female Dancers
References
- Neils, Jenifer. "The Twain Shall Meet." Bulletin of the Cleveland Museum of Art , vol. 72, no. 6, 1985, p. 338.
- Shepherd, Dorothy G. "Sasanian Art in Cleveland." Bulletin of the Cleveland Museum of Art, vol. 51, no. 4, 1964, pp. 66–92.
Cite This Work
APA Style
Art, C. M. o. (2025, February 14). Anahita Vessel. World History Encyclopedia. Retrieved from https://www.worldhistory.org/image/20021/anahita-vessel/
Chicago Style
Art, Cleveland Museum of. "Anahita Vessel." World History Encyclopedia. Last modified February 14, 2025. https://www.worldhistory.org/image/20021/anahita-vessel/.
MLA Style
Art, Cleveland Museum of. "Anahita Vessel." World History Encyclopedia. World History Encyclopedia, 14 Feb 2025. Web. 21 Feb 2025.
