Central Asia
1st Millennium B.C
Bronze
H:12.5 L:13

This well-proportioned bronze deer stands rigid on four feet, his highly stylised head held proudly aloft, with the two antlers protruding backwards.

A large quantity of highly advanced and stylised bronze objects have been found throughout the Luristan region in north western, dating from approximately the 1st Millennium B.C. It is believed they were mostly discovered during excavations from the 1930’s onwards. Many of these items include not only war related items such as axe heads, swords, horse tack and spears, but also figurative idols such as ‘Master of Animal’ finials, human idols (particularly those famously from the Piravend region), and small animal ornaments. It is not known what these more stylised idols and animal shaped bronzes would have been used for, many often have loops on the back presumably for hanging. Whether these items were carried about the person, however, or if the items were strung up around the domiciles, it is not known.

It is thought many of these idols, be it human or animal, were made in representation or in honour of various deity’s or gods. Some scholars have claimed to recognize Indo-European, Vedic, or Zoroastrian elements in such imagery, however all interpretations remain speculative. The “Luristan bronze” industry was phenomenon of the 1st millennium B.C. with no evidence of large-scale bronze manufacture prior to this time, and with a terminus sometime before the beginning of the Achaemenid period. The reason why it ceased to function and whether it did so abruptly or gradually are unknown.