Artefact Porn

This is the Kelardasht Cup, dating to around 1000 BC. It features two lions with remarkable realism, as if they were caught mid-motion. Their heads were crafted separately and attached to the body with rivets. Discovered in Kelardasht in 1934, its housed at the National Museum of Iran. [1280×830]

October 13, 2025

by Party_Judgment5780

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Party_Judgment5780 on October 13, 2025 3:34 pm

It’s also known as the Cup of Two Lions. In 1934, during the construction of the Ejabet summer palace in the Kalardasht city, several Medes-era tombs were uncovered. Although no systematic archaeological excavation was carried out at the site, the objects found became known as the Kalardasht Treasure, which includes weapons and vessels made of precious metals.

The Cup is about 10 centimeters tall. On the lions’ haunches appears a cross motif, while their flanks and cheeks are decorated with sun-wheel symbols and two small floral ornaments on their forelegs. The upper and lower rims are adorned with a chain-pattern design, and the base features a geometric medallion (toranj) enclosed within another chain pattern, filled with engraved six-petaled flowers.

The base of the cup is adorned with six-petaled lotus flowers. Also, to mark the 90th anniversary of the artifact’s discovery, a memorial was erected in the city in 2023:

[https://www.instagram.com/p/DGa5li5I9Ob/](https://www.instagram.com/p/DGa5li5I9Ob/)

Similar stylistic features can be seen in the Marlik Cup:

[https://www.reddit.com/r/ArtefactPorn/comments/1ncjh06/the_marlik_cup_dating_back_to_around_1400_bc/](https://www.reddit.com/r/ArtefactPorn/comments/1ncjh06/the_marlik_cup_dating_back_to_around_1400_bc/)

This is the Kelardasht Cup, dating to around 1000 BC. It features two lions with remarkable realism, as if they were caught mid-motion. Their heads were crafted separately and attached to the body with rivets. Discovered in Kelardasht in 1934, its housed at the National Museum of Iran. [1280×830]

The Tachara was the exclusive palace of Darius the Great at Persepolis, Iran. It largely escaped destruction when Alexander’s forces burned the complex in 330 BC, making it one of the best-preserved and most intact buildings at Persepolis today. [1350×1080]

Double chromatic harp with two sets of strings that cross near their midpoint, one row of strings has the naturals for a C major scale, like white notes on a modern piano, while the second set of strings has the accidentals, or black notes, late 19th century [2978×3722]

Bronze Brazier with Demon Face Decoration. Korea, Goryeo dynasty, 11th–12th century AD. Medium: cast bronze with openwork and incised ornament. Collection: National Museum of Korea, Seoul. Designation: National Treasure No. 145 [950 X 1200]

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This is the Kelardasht Cup, dating to around 1000 BC. It features two lions with remarkable realism, as if they were caught mid-motion. Their heads were crafted separately and attached to the body with rivets. Discovered in Kelardasht in 1934, its housed at the National Museum of Iran. [1280×830]

Related

The Tachara was the exclusive palace of Darius the Great at Persepolis, Iran. It largely escaped destruction when Alexander’s forces burned the complex in 330 BC, making it one of the best-preserved and most intact buildings at Persepolis today. [1350×1080]

Double chromatic harp with two sets of strings that cross near their midpoint, one row of strings has the naturals for a C major scale, like white notes on a modern piano, while the second set of strings has the accidentals, or black notes, late 19th century [2978×3722]

Bronze Brazier with Demon Face Decoration. Korea, Goryeo dynasty, 11th–12th century AD. Medium: cast bronze with openwork and incised ornament. Collection: National Museum of Korea, Seoul. Designation: National Treasure No. 145 [950 X 1200]

1 Comment