---
title: Gold Rhyton in the Shape of a Ram's Head
author: A.Davey
source: https://www.worldhistory.org/image/18290/gold-rhyton-in-the-shape-of-a-rams-head/
format: machine-readable-alternate
license: Creative Commons Attribution (https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0)
updated: 2024-01-08
---
# Gold Rhyton in the Shape of a Ram's Head
_Authored by A.Davey_
## Image File
[](https://www.worldhistory.org/uploads/images/18290.jpg)
## Image Caption
[Gold](https://www.worldhistory.org/gold/) rhyton (*Takuk* in Persian), found in the Qaflankuh highlands near Ziwiyeh, late 7th to early 8th century BCE.
The extensive collection of precious artefacts from the first millennium BCE, known as the Ziwiyeh Treasure has been controversial since the early appearance of its first pieces allegedly found by some villagers around Saqqiz in western Iran and published by the French archaeologist, André Godard, in 1948. Despite numerous [seasons](https://www.worldhistory.org/Horae/) of excavations in the site of Ziwiyeh citadel by various groups of international and Iranian archaeologists from 1950 to the early 2000s, the exact number and originality of the objects now scattered in a vast range of private and museum collections is still a matter of debate. That said, the unearthed parts of the castle at Ziwiyeh, consisting of mudbrick structures, [column](https://www.worldhistory.org/column/) bases, an entry staircase, and a thick defensive [wall](https://www.worldhistory.org/wall/), have given us a variety of terracotta vessels, ornamental pieces, and metalworks from the Assyrian, [Scythian](https://www.worldhistory.org/Scythians/), Urartian, and even [Egyptian](https://www.worldhistory.org/disambiguation/Egyptian/) civilizations. Consequently, although the rhyton, a historical type of luxury drinking vessel, is often associated with the [Achaemenid](https://www.worldhistory.org/disambiguation/Achaemenid/) [Persia](https://www.worldhistory.org/Persia/), it most likely had come down from the earlier cultures of the region such as the Urartian, Scythian, and Median.
Reza Abbasi Museum, Tehran.
## Cite This Work
### APA
A.Davey. (2024, January 08). Gold Rhyton in the Shape of a Ram's Head. *World History Encyclopedia*.
### Chicago
A.Davey. "Gold Rhyton in the Shape of a Ram's Head." *World History Encyclopedia*, January 08, 2024. .
### MLA
A.Davey. "Gold Rhyton in the Shape of a Ram's Head." *World History Encyclopedia*, 08 Jan 2024, .
## License & Copyright
[](https://www.flickr.com/photos/40595948@N00/4743090698)This image was first published on [Flickr](http://www.flickr.com). [Original image](https://www.flickr.com/photos/40595948@N00/4743090698) by [**A.Davey**](https://www.flickr.com/photos/40595948@N00/4743090698). Submitted by [Nathalie Choubineh](https://www.worldhistory.org/user/nathalie.choubineh/ "User Page: Nathalie Choubineh"), published on 08 January 2024. The copyright holder has published this content under the following license: [Creative Commons Attribution](https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0deed.en). This license lets others distribute, remix, tweak, and build upon your work, even commercially, as long as they credit you for the original creation. When republishing on the web a hyperlink back to the original content source URL must be included. Please note that content linked from this page may have different licensing terms.