---
title: Anahita Vessel
author: Cleveland Museum of Art
source: https://www.worldhistory.org/image/20021/anahita-vessel/
format: machine-readable-alternate
updated: 2025-02-14
---

# Anahita Vessel

_Authored by Cleveland Museum of Art_

## Image File

[![Anahita Vessel](https://www.worldhistory.org/uploads/images/20021.jpg)](https://www.worldhistory.org/uploads/images/20021.jpg)

## Image Caption

Four views of a [Sassanian](https://www.worldhistory.org/Sasanian_Empire/) [silver](https://www.worldhistory.org/Silver/) vessel with four female figures, from the [Sassanian Empire](https://www.worldhistory.org/Sasanian_Empire/) (224-651 CE), modern-day Iran, c. 300-500 CE.

Cleveland Museum of Art.

The four female figures on the vessel may be interpreted as dancers or as maenads, followers of [Dionysos](https://www.worldhistory.org/Dionysos/), the [Greek](https://www.worldhistory.org/disambiguation/greek/) [god](https://www.worldhistory.org/God/) of wine. In earlier scholarship the figures have been interpreted as depictions of the Zoroastrian fertility goddess [Anahita](https://www.worldhistory.org/Anahita/).

## Bibliography

- Neils, Jenifer. "The Twain Shall Meet."  *Bulletin of the Cleveland Museum of Art* , vol. 72, no. 6, 1985, p. 338.
- Shepherd, Dorothy G. "Sasanian Art in Cleveland." *Bulletin of the Cleveland Museum of Art*, vol. 51, no. 4, 1964, pp. 66–92.

## Cite This Work

### APA
Art, C. M. o. (2025, February 14). Anahita Vessel. *World History Encyclopedia*. <https://www.worldhistory.org/image/20021/anahita-vessel/>
### Chicago
Art, Cleveland Museum of. "Anahita Vessel." *World History Encyclopedia*, February 14, 2025. <https://www.worldhistory.org/image/20021/anahita-vessel/>.
### MLA
Art, Cleveland Museum of. "Anahita Vessel." *World History Encyclopedia*, 14 Feb 2025, <https://www.worldhistory.org/image/20021/anahita-vessel/>.

## License & Copyright

[Original image](https://www.clevelandart.org/art/1962.294) by **Cleveland Museum of Art**. Submitted by [Prolet Decheva](https://www.worldhistory.org/user/pdecheva/ "User Page: Prolet Decheva"), published on 14 February 2025. The copyright holder has published this content under the following license: [Public Domain](http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Public_domain). This item is in the public domain, and can be used, copied, and modified without any restrictions. Please note that content linked from this page may have different licensing terms.