Roller

An item at Metropolitan Museum of Art

Although the exact function of this fragmentary bronze piece is not certain, it has been associated with openwork bronzes produced during the early second millennium B.C., and entered the Met’s collection with one such piece (1984.454.1a,b). Openwork bronzes are incompletely understood objects produced during the early second millennium B.C. that include one or more openings in a variety of shapes. It seems likely that a cord, strap, or fabric would have been fed through these openings, and various proposals have identified the bronzes as horse trappings, belt buckles, furniture elements, and implements used in the production of textiles. Some examples include a roller like this piece and were probably designed to allow for the adjustment of straps, or movement of a textile through the opening.

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