Ca. 500-330 BC. Graeco/Achaemenid. A bronze libation bowl known as 'phiale' decorated with a central rosette. Phialai were wide shallow cups used for pouring libations to the gods and for drinking on more ordinary occasions as attested by several literary sources (see, for instance, Pindar N. 9.51f). Phialai were used across a wide geographical area - from Greece to Tibet, throughout the ancient Near East and Central Asia - and made from many materials — glass, ceramic, and many types of metal. An attractive, lustrous patina has formed across the vessel. Excellent condition. For more information on Achaemenid phialai, see Wilkinson, C. K. (1949) The Art of the Ancient Near East. The Metropolitan Museum of Art Bulletin 7 (7); Muscarella, O.W. (1980) Excavated and Unexcavated Achaemenid Art, in Ancient Persia: The Art of an Empire, Invited Lectures on the Middle East at the University of Texas at Austin, edited by Schmandt-Besserat D. Undena Publications; Simpson, St J., Cowell, M.R. & La Niece, S. (2010). Achaemenid Silver, T.L. Jacks and the Mazanderan Connection in The World of Achaemenid Persia. History, Art and Society in Iran and the Ancient Near East. Proceedings of a conference at the British Museum 29th September - 1st October 2005 , 429-442. Size: L:40mm / W:160mm ; 205g. Provenance: Property of an Oxfordshire art professional; previously in an old British collection, formed in the 1980s on the UK / International art markets.