• latw-187-1
    Jewelry form in shape of recumbent ram. (Courtesy of the Vedat Nedim Tör Museum, Istanbul)

    Jewelry form in shape of recumbent ram

    Date
    Late 6th or early 5th c BC, Late Lydian (Persian)
    Museum
    Uşak, Archaeological Museum, 1.170.96
    Museum Inventory No.
    1.170.96
    Sardis or Museum Inv. No.
    Uşak 1.170.96
    Material
    Bronze/Copper Alloy
    Object Type
    Metalwork
    Metalwork Type
    Object Associated with Metalworking
    Description
    The former is for the figure of a recumbent young ram, lying left, with head facing. Pointed horns project backwards above tiny ears. The shaft is cylindrical.

    Although these cast bronze formers (Özgen and Öztürk 1996, nos. 189, 190, and 191) were no doubt used for animal figures similar to Özgen and Öztürk 1996, nos. 151-158, none of the formers matches the animal figures in the collection. The figurines would have been produced in two halves using two sheets of metal, one impressed with the details of the front half of the former, the other the back, and joined down the central seam” (Özgen and Öztürk 1996) Height 0.081 m, length of animal 0.037 m, weight 161.9 g.

    Comments
    One of three formers for recumbent animals found with the Lydian Treasure, provenience unknown. Cf. the recumbent lambs Nos. 136, 140, 184, 185, and 186. These tools for jewelry manufacture prove that such recumbent animals were produced in Lydia (and, as Kerschner suggests, in neighboring regions); they seem to be a Lydian specialty.
    See Also
    Kerschner, “Lydians and Ionians”.
    Bibliography
    Özgen and Öztürk 1996, no. 189.
    Author
    İÖ