Explore Amphora Rhyton with Lion-Griffin Handles

Read About This Ancient Persian Jar

The Persian Empire of the fifth and fourth centuries BCE (about 2,400 years ago) was enormous. It stretched from Turkey and the Mediterranean Sea all the way east to India and south to Egypt. This empire included many different populations, each with their own traditions of art and craft-making. Persian artworks often combined ideas from all these different cultures, creating a distinctive blend of styles.

The Persians were highly skilled metalworkers. This silver and gold jar is called an amphora-rhyton (am-FOR-uh RY-ton), which is its Greek name, and it’s quite rare. It combines two types of vessels into one: an amphora is a two-handled wine jug that people used at dinner parties in ancient times, and a rhyton is a special container used for pouring liquids.

For wealthy Persians, formal dinners and wine-drinking ceremonies were important social occasions. Being a gracious host demonstrated cultural refinement, and giving valuable gifts established social status and strengthened relationships. This jar has a small spout at the bottom that would aerate the wine as it poured out, adding air to improve the flavor. When not in use, the spout would need to be plugged to prevent leaking.

A vessel like this one—made from precious metals and elegantly decorated—would have been used at an elite Persian dinner party or given as a significant gift. At Persepolis, the ancient Persian capital, there’s a stone relief carving that shows delegates from Lydia bringing gifts to the Persian king. One delegate carries two vessels that look very similar to this one.

The artist carefully designed this jar by emphasizing the different sections—the lip, neck, shoulder, handles, and belly—through alternating smooth surfaces with decorated areas. Delicate Egyptian lotus petals decorate the lower half and appear to open as the rounded base swells upward. The handles are crafted as winged lions with goat horns, a type of mythical creature that was common in inland Persian art. Greeks borrowed the idea of similar hybrid animals (like griffins) from eastern cultures, including the Persian Empire. The Greek version of this creature typically has the head of an eagle or other bird of prey rather than a lion’s head.

Questions

Write or discuss your responses.

• Why do you think wealthy Persians invested so much skill and precious materials into objects used for serving wine? What does this reveal about their values and social customs?
• Persian art often combined artistic traditions from the many different cultures within their empire. What advantages might there be to blending styles from different places? What challenges might artists face when combining different traditions?
• This jar was designed to be both functional and beautiful—it served wine while also displaying the owner’s wealth and taste. Can you think of objects today that serve a similar dual purpose? Why might people value objects that are both useful and decorative?

A two-handled wine jug that people used at dinner parties in ancient times.

A special container used for pouring liquids.