Ca. 550-330 BC. A rare Western Asiatic bronze bowl featuring a hemispherical body, undulating sides and simple, flattened rim. The centre of the bowl is decorated with an engraved six-petalled flower, framed by a cycle of animal motifs, possibly depicting hunting dogs and their prey. The Achaemenid Empire (the first Persian empire) was an ancient empire founded by Cyrus the Great and stretching from the Balkans and Eastern Europe to the Indus Valley and covering 5.5 million square kilometres at its height. This empire is also famous for being the antagonist of the Greek city states during the Greco-Persian wars. This beautiful bowl may have been used on ritual occasions and during banqueting. Excellent condition; beautiful patina; on a custom stand.Size: H:50mm / W:155mm ; 480gProvenance: From the private collection of an Oxford gentleman; previously in an old British collection, formed in the 1990s on the UK / International art markets.