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The Ziwiye treasure, discovered in Iranian Kurdistan, is a significant collection of Median-period art dating to the 7th century BCE. This treasure includes elaborate gold objects such as a pectoral ornament, bracelets with lion heads, a torque, a ram's head rhyton, and daggers. The style of these artifacts shows a variety of influences, including those from Assyria, Syria, and Egypt.1

The Ziwiye treasure provides evidence of the Asiatic phase of Scythian gold-working art, which had a strong influence in western Asia during the 7th century BCE. The ornaments are noted for their highly expressive animal forms. This style, a blend of Central Asian Scythian and Iranian elements, also made its way into the Mediterranean through Phoenician trade.2

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