Marlik

Coordinates: 36°49′50″N 49°27′33″E / 36.83056°N 49.45917°E / 36.83056; 49.45917
Source: Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia.
Golden Cup depicting Griffin and Pegasus. Excavated at Marlik, Gilan, Iran. First half of first millennium BC.
Golden necklace of three Swastikas found in Marlik, dates back to first millennium B.C.

Marlik is an ancient site near

Gilan Province in Northern Iran, Marlik. Marlik is the site of a royal cemetery, and artifacts found at this site date back to 3,000 years ago. Some of the artifacts contain amazing workmanship with gold.[2]
Marlik is named after the
Amard
people.

Marlik Cup

Marlik Cup is a cup of pure gold and is 18 cm high. The height of the prominent designs of the cup reaches 2 cm.

Pattern of the Marlik Cup on the five hundred rial banknotes of the Pahlavi era.

Archaeology

The mound at Mārlik is a rocky outcrop capped by several meters of sediment. It is surrounded by

rice paddies on the lower slopes of the valley. The site was already partly looted by treasure hunters and the archaeology team were hindered by local corruption[1][3]

A number of tombs were found. The initial Archaeology report concluded: "In total, fifty-three tombs were discovered at Mārlik. The tombs were dug into the overlaying sediments of the mound, sometimes hitting and penetrating into the underlying bedrock. The tomb constructions vary from roughly dug pits lined with stone to fairly well-constructed examples with walls made from stone slabs bound together with mud mortar. The stone used in the tombs is mostly local, but in some tombs one could see yellowish slabs brought from the headwaters of the Gowharrud, some 15 km to the south. A few, evidently more important, tombs are entirely made of this imported stone, a potential indication to the social significance of the occupant. The tombs range in size from fairly small (1.5x1x1 m [Tomb 4]) to relatively large (7x4.5x2.5 m [Tomb 52]). Most tombs yielded very little or no large skeletal remains, perhaps a result of natural deterioration of organic material and rodent activity. In the handful of tombs, where partial skeletal remains where preserved, the body seemed to have been laid on its side on a large, flattened slab, surrounded by grave goods."

The archaeology is generally assumed to have belonged to a people group who spoke an

arms, horse-trappings (as well as horse burials), and spouted vessels among the grave goods has been cited as distinct Iranian signatures (Kurochkin). The exact attribution of these people, however, remains largely a conjecture.[4]

See also

Gallery

  • Double-headed eagle cup, Louvre
  • Silver cup with a decorative edge of a sheep, 14th to 11th century BC. Place of discovery of Marlik Hill Cemetery, Louvre
    Silver cup with a decorative edge of a sheep, 14th to 11th century BC. Place of discovery of Marlik Hill Cemetery, Louvre
  • A piece of brick with inscriptions in cuneiform Elamite (circa 1000 BC) discovered on Marlik Hill, Rosicrucian Egyptian Museum, San Jose, California
    A piece of brick with inscriptions in
    Elamite (circa 1000 BC) discovered on Marlik Hill, Rosicrucian Egyptian Museum, San Jose, California
  • A clay bowl discovered on Marlik Hill, Egyptian Rosicrucian Museum, San Jose, California. This type of bowl could contain the ration of a day laborer who was forced to work.
    A clay bowl discovered on Marlik Hill, Egyptian Rosicrucian Museum, San Jose, California. This type of bowl could contain the ration of a day laborer who was forced to work.
  • Cow-shaped earthenware
    Cow-shaped earthenware
  • Animal vase, National Museum of Oriental Art, Rome
    Animal vase, National Museum of Oriental Art, Rome
  • Bronze Bracelet,
    Bronze Bracelet,
  • Disc-like necklace, National Museum of Oriental Art, Rome

References

  1. ^ a b D. Josiya Negahban, Marlik.
  2. .
  3. ^ Marlik : the complete excavation report: Archaeological report(University Museum, University of Pennsylvania, 1994) p15-24.
  4. ^ ʿE.-A. Negahbān, “The Wonderful Gold Treasure of Marlik,” Illustrated London News, 28 April 1962, pp. 663-64.

36°49′50″N 49°27′33″E / 36.83056°N 49.45917°E / 36.83056; 49.45917

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