Bull-Shaped Jug

Jug in the shape of a zebus: a humped bull prized by the cattle-rearing people of ancient north-west Iran. The clay was burnished before firing to give a smooth and shiny surface. The jug is mended from broken pieces with one horn point, one leg and about 20 mm of the spout being modern repairs. Animal-shaped pottery vessels like this were produced during the Late Bronze Age (1700 - 1200 BC) in the are of north-west Iran known as Amlash. The site consisted of stone-and-clay tombs cut into a high rocky spur. The most distinctive are the spouted vases representing zebus, humped bull prized by the cattle-rearing people of this area. These types of pots were intended to contain liquids and probably had some ritual role in funerary practices.