A sheet silver vessel with domed plaque to the base, waisted profile, everted rim, band of Proto-Elamite text beneath the rim, text possibly a later addition.

PROVENANCE:
Property of a North West London gentleman; formerly with a central London gallery in 1990.

FOOTNOTES:
The Proto-Elamite script and its Linear Elamite variant remain undeciphered. Pottery dating to the later 5th millennium BC has been found in Tepe Sialk, where Proto-Elamite writing has been found on tablets of a similar date. The first cylinder seals date to the Proto-Elamite period. At the beginning of the 3rd millennium BC, the written tradition in Sumer diverged from that of its contemporaries in Mesopotamia. Along with changes in the script, the archaeological record also indicates changes in material culture, as reflected in new architectural style and ceramic technology that bore closer resemblance to cultures of the Iranian plateau rather than Mesopotamian traditions. Although the reasons are not known for these changes a new script tradition appeared in Elam at approximately 2900 BC. Called Proto-Elamite, this script represented the earliest native writing system in Elam. Visually, Proto-Elamite is quite unlike the cuneiform script prevalent in other parts of Mesopotamia, and instead is composed of lines and circles.