Rhyton
Unknown Artist
1st millennium BCE
Medium
Ceramic
Dimensions
7.87 x 6.3 in. (19.99 x 16 cm)
Classification
Ceramics-Vessels
Culture & Period
Iran · Iron Age
Department
Ancient Near Eastern Art
Museum
Metropolitan Museum of Art, New York, NY
Credit
Gift of Mr. and Mrs. J. Gordon Douglas III, 1984
Accession Number
1984.319.3
Art Historical Context
Welcome to the Ancient Near Eastern Art gallery at the Metropolitan Museum of Art where you'll find this intriguing **Rhyton**, a vessel from Iron Age Iran dating to the 1st millennium BCE. a compact 7.87 x 6.3 inches (19.99 x 16 cm), this finely crafted piece exemplifies the sophisticated pottery traditions of ancient Iranian cultures during a transformative era marked by iron technology, emerging empires, and vibrant trade networks. Rhytons were ritual drinking or pouring vessels, often horn-shaped with a small aperture at the base, used in ceremonial banquets, libations, or religious rites...