Plaque fragment with chariot scenes inscribed with the Urartian royal name Argishti
Unknown Artist
ca. 713–679 BCE
Medium
Bronze
Dimensions
5 15/16 × 3 9/16 × 1/16 in. (15.1 × 9 × 0.2 cm)
Classification
Metalwork-Reliefs-Inscribed
Culture & Period
Urartian · Iron Age III
Department
Ancient Near Eastern Art
Museum
Metropolitan Museum of Art, New York, NY
Credit
Rogers Fund, 1976
Accession Number
1976.5
Tags
About this artwork
This bronze plaque fragment preserves a remarkable glimpse into the material culture of ancient Urartu, the Iron Age kingdom that flourished in the Armenian highlands during the first millennium BCE. Dating to approximately 713–679 BCE, the fragment bears the cuneiform inscription 'From the arsenal of Argishti,' referring to Argishti II, who ruled during this period. The plaque features two identical processional scenes arranged in horizontal registers, depicting royal or religious ceremonies in...