Lot no. 21
HANDLEBAR WEIGHT
The body engraved on one side with an eagle fighting two snake dragons. On the other side, two intertwined snakes. E. Porada thought that the scenes with snakes and eagles indicated the struggle between them, and she refers to the story of the Eagle and the Serpent, inserted in the Mesopotamian "Epic of Etana" (Porada, 1965, p. 42). But in Bactria and Margiana, eagles and snakes personified benevolent forces.
Chlorite. 22x25.2x2.5 cm
Bactria, 3rd millennium BC
A Bactrian chlorite "hand bag weight" with sculpted scenes. On one side, an eagle fighting two dragon-snakes. On the other side, two entwisted dragon-snake. E. Porada believed that scenes with snakes and eagles indicate the struggle between them, and she refers to the story of the Eagle and Snake, inserted in the Mesopotamian "Epic of Etana" (Porada, 1965, p. 42). But in Bactria and Margiana both the eagles and the snakes personified benevolent forces. 3rd Millennium B.C.E.
Provenance
Rassla Foundation, Zurich
Publication
Ligabue Magazine 63, 2013, pp. 1- 38, fig. 25
See original version (French) Auto-translation. Refer to original language for legal validity.
Pictures credits: Contact organization
Archaeology
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