Bronze pin decorated with an image of a goddess

Luristan culture, 10th-7th century BC. From western Iran. Elaborately decorated bronze pins of this kind are linked stylistically to the rich metalworking tradition of the region of Luristan in the mountains of western Iran. Virtually all the surviving bronzes come from plundered cemeteries of stone-built graves. These vary considerably in date, but predominantly belong early in the first millennium BC. At a number of sites, bronzes were also deposited in shrines.