Complete Urartian Bronze Belt

Ancient Near East, modern day Eastern Anatolia region of Turkey, Urartu, Urartian, Iron Age III, ca. 7th century BCE. It is incredibly rare to find a complete Urartian belt.

This example, made from hammered bronze and decorated in chased low relief/repousse with a central band of repeated curvilinear medallion or shield-like forms - each one framing an otherworldly winged creature or a floral blossom - as well as several animal forms (perhaps horses, gazelles, or ibexes) positioned above and below the medallions. Surrounding this central register are narrow bands comprised of double striations bordering repeated concentric circles. Finally, the belt is punched with regularly spaced perforations that line the upper and lower edges.

The civilization of Urartu was one of several states that arose following the destruction of the Hittite state in approximately 1200 BCE. Others included Tabal, Phrygia, and Lydia - each one possessed its own distinct language, religion, ethnicity, and visual culture.

An Urartian bronze belt of a similar size and presenting a very similar decorative/iconographic program sold for 8,750 GBP ($11,733) at Christie's London, Sale 1561, Antiquities, October 1, 2014 - Lot 146.