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The whole surface of this belt is decorated by small pressed holes (Moorey and Ryder 1967: 86, Pl. 1a fig.
2; Moorey 1971: 242, fig. 462).
The last belt in Ashmolean Museum is totally different in both design and execution techniques from the
all above parallel belts. The belt is framed by a band of dots arranged in triple lines. Within this frame,
there are chased grazing gazelles on both sides of a central tree (floral motif) (Figure.5). Moorey, compares
its morphological characteristics such as hair style, ribcages, ringed horns, and the gazelle’s short tuft
ending tails and the tree with the figures rendered on Ziwiye ivories and Neo-Assyrian artworks (Moorey
& Ryder 1967: 86, Pl. Ib, fig.1; Moorey 1971: 241 fig. 461). Furthermore, the emphasized ribcage is
comparable to the Urartian morphological characteristics.
The last example, according to its manufacture and decoration techniques, falls in a more recent group.
This belt is a fragment recovered from archaeological excavations from Hasanlu in northwestern Iran. This
belt terminal, a fragment of which only 7.01 x 7.01 cm is remaining is technologically and morphologically
different from the belts described above. In Hasanlu belt the metal sheet is not cut into the shape of a
double spiral but the spiral is made of a wire coiled to the shape of a double spiral and attached to the
belt’s end by a stud. The surface of the belt is covered by studs in various sizes (Muscarella 1988: 48- 49,
figs. 55- 57; Rubinson 2012a, 107- 109, fig. 9; Danti and Cifarelli 2013: Pl. 5a) (Figure 6). This decorating
technique had been discussed by Rubinson as a “
local style of the belt at Hasanlu” (Rubinson 2012a: 110).
Other Double-Spiral Metal Objects from Iran and other regions
Studying these belts from just a morphological perspective can only provide a typological changes and
somehow technological or executing techniques of these objects. It is while a wide spacio-temporal
analysis of them would provide more information on the cultural contacts and exchange within the Middle
East and even a vast geographical region in the ancient world. As well as to propose a distribution and the
significance of existence of such objects among the archaeological findings.
Although this kind of belts have not been reported from other sites except Marlik and Bistoun and Hasanlu
in Iran, but their prominent spiral end terminals, which are not easy to execute compared to the simple
rectangular belts, relates them to a broader group of the objects, the double spiral
tradition of the metal
objects which have been in use since the third millennium B.C. from sites in Aegean lands, Anatolia, Iran,
Central Asia, and the Indus Valley, suggesting that the transmission of artistic motifs (both their forms and
their meaning) occurred along the trade routes that linked the regions (Reade, 2003: 129, cat. 77).
The objects of this group could be classified in four main groups:
Quadruple-spiral beads:
These beads are made of two pieces of gold wire twisted around each other to form a vertical
center. The ends of the wire are coiled into four separate cones, and the resulting quadrant spiral
is fixed into a circle of gold.
In Marlik greaves about 13 of these beads have been recovered complete or in fragment
(Negahban, 1996: 20, 143, Pl. 50, Pl. XXVI B, 21,164, fig. 15, Pl. 78). A number of these beads have
been recovered in Royal Cemetry of Ur IIIA tombs in Mesipotamia (Reade, 2003: 129- 130, cat.
78), and Troy III, dating to the third millennium BC (Schaefer, 1948: fig. 168, nos. 20, 132, p. 292;
Matthiae, 2003: 185; Reinholdt, 2003: 266, 170a- 170b). Three quadruple-spiral and one half-
quadruple-spiral bead have been recovered from a temple at Tell Brak. Two of the quadruple
beads heve spiral forms made from heavy round wire; the other is made of a flat sheet (Hasen,
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2003: 233, cat. 159). Another bead of this type have been recovered from Tomb 20 at Ashur and
attributed to the Gut-Gudes period (ca. 2250- 2100 BC) by Mawell- Hyslope (Maxwell-Hyslop,
1971, fig. 460, p.71).
Double Spiral pendants:
These objects are made of a coiled wire to the shape of a double opposing spiral. These pendants
are lacking among the Marlik grave goods. Double spiral pendants have been reported from Tepe
Hissar III (Schaefer, 1948b, fig. 239, nos. 16, 193, p. 448) another example which is dated to a later
period, ninth to seventh period, recovered from a hoard fromTepe Nush-i-Jan (Maxwell-Hyslop,
1971: Pl. 252, p. 267, Stronch, 1969, Pl. VIIIa, p. 15), which possibly might be a heirlooms from the
third millennium BC (Arzu, 2003: 244). Another double spiral pendant from the Cemetery at Ur
from a very young child’s grave (Reade, 2003: 129, cat. 77). Double-spiral pendants are common
at the Early Bronze Age site of Eskiyapar in central Anatolia, where in one grave a necklace of 24
gold beads of various sizes was discovered (Tosi & Lamberg-Karlovsky: 2003: 352, fig. cat. 246).
It is while parallel examples have been reported from Causacuc regions
such as Maral Deresi and
dated by Schaefer to 1200 BC. (Schaefer, 1948, fig. 275, nos. 1, 9, 214, p. 448). The very similar
example recovered from Kizilburun necropolis dating to the Middle Bronze Age (Veli Bakhsheliov:
2007:165, fig 26. 22) another example from Kolani necropolis (Veli Bekhsheliof, 2007: 222, fig. 95.
3) and the last one from Veri in Russion Talysh (Morgan, 1896).
Double Spiral Headed pins:
Objects of this group was not recovered from Marlik tombs. Spiral-heads pins have also been
recovered in third-millennium contexts in Central Asia at Anau, Mundigak and Parkhai II, and in
the Insud Valley at Chanhudaro and Mohenjoradro. Tepe Hissar a site in north-central Iran just
south of the Caspian Sea sharply pointed pins and wands both with a double-spiral motifs occur
as early as Hissar II (ca. 3000- 2500 BC) but are more frequent in Hissar III (ca. 2500- 2000 BC).
(Tosi & Lamberg-Karlovsky: 2003: 352, fig. cat. 246). Pins with similarly decorated double-spiral
heads have been recovered at Shahr-I Sokhta and at Tepe Giyan in southeastern and western Iran,
respectively (Tosi & Lamberg-Karlovsky: 2003: 352, fig. cat. 246). The next pin of this type have
been recovered from Vaske necropol in Iranain Talish (???) The next examples are attributed to
Luristan (Zahlhaas 2002: figs.91, 161, 162, 64).
Open-Loop flat bracelets with double-spiral ends:
These flat bracelets are very similar in the shape to the bronze belts. Until now two of this objects
have been published. One from Marlik excavations (Negahban, 1996: 170, 5.8 cm in diameter, Pl.
83. Fig. 359). The next similar example coming from calndstine excavations is attributed to
Luristan. This bronze open-loop band had a plain surface with no decorations. (Zahlhaas, 2002,
fig. 64)
Moreover these objects there are some others which cannot be placed within these categories.
The bracelet from Troy is one of these objects, the bracelet is embellished with more than 50
double spirals attached to the band (Tosi & Lamberg-Karlovsky: 2003: 352, fig. cat. 246; Reinholdt,
2003: 255, fig. 76), this could be dated to Early Bronze Age, ca. 2500- 2300 BC (Reinholdt, 2003:
255, fig. 76)
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