Plaque with two male figures supporting a roller

An item at Metropolitan Museum of Art

In this openwork bronze, two kneeling male figures grasp the terminals of a roller (comprised of two vertical elements, a pin, and a roller now immobilized by corrosion). This type of plaque is dated to the early second millennium B.C. largely on the basis of their imagery. Few provenanced plaques are known, but these objects appear to have been used from eastern Anatolia to western Iran – a reflection of the strong international connections of the period. Although the precise function of bronze rollers remains unclear, the roller and the aperture at the bottom of this example suggest that it would have been used with a cord, strap, or fabric. The appearance of the two fully modeled male figures – shaved except for a forelock and wearing short belted kilts – may characterize them as temple attendants. It has been suggested that openwork bronzes may have been affiliated with the temple, used either in the production of textiles or as elements of temple furniture. Other proposals identify objects like this as horse trappings or belt buckles.

Ancient Near Eastern Art

An exhibit at Metropolitan Museum of Art

The Met's Department of Ancient Near Eastern Art cares for approximately 7,000 works ranging in date from the eighth millennium B.C. through the centuries just beyond the emergence of Islam in the seventh century A.D. Objects in the collection were created by people in the area that today comprises Iraq, Iran, Turkey, Syria, the Eastern Mediterranean coast, Yemen, and Central Asia. From the art of some of the world's first cities to that of great empires, the department's holdings illustrate the beauty and craftsmanship as well as the profound interconnections, cultural and religious diversity, and lasting legacies that characterize the ancient art of this vast region.

Metropolitan Museum of Art