Standard crests

Standard crests, so called for want of a better term, are objects typical of the bronze culture of Luristan. They are made up of a hollow, bottle-shaped pedestal, on whose top a symmetrically constructed figurative crest is mounted. They probably had a ceremonial function. Like the other Luristan bronzes, they were found in graves. The representations are probably rooted in the mythological and religious world of ideas.
The crest measuring 16.5 cm features two mythrytonological animals standing on their hind legs. They have long, curved necks and large heads with protruding eyes and gaping maws, with a long tongue lolling between the teeth of the lower jaw. Their claws are indicated by notches. The latter also serve to suggest short, bushy manes on their heads and necks.
The other standard crest features a ‘conqueror of animals’. This tamer of wild animals is grabbing two predators by the throat with his outstretched hands. He is wearing a kind of head-gear resembling a tiara. At the height of his waist a second face is visible, a feature occurring more often in these artefacts. The animals, too, each have two heads: a frightening, gaping maw and a birdlike head at the height of the second human face. The lower bodies of both animals and the wild animal tamer have been welded together in what is called the central shaft.