Luristan is a region in western Iran dominated by the Pish-i Kuh and Pusht-i Kuh mountain ranges. During the early 1st millennium BC a culture emerged there which is distinguished by the production of extraordinary decorated bronze objects. These were made using the lost-wax method. A model of the object is made in wax and coated in clay. When the clay has dried, molten metal is poured inside. After the wax has melted the cavity is filled with the metal which sets into the shape of the wax original. Large numbers of these bronzes were collected in the AD 1930s before their source and cultural origin were understood.

Excavations have now shown that many of the bronzes came from cemeteries of stone-built graves mostly dating from between about 1150 and 750 BC. Bronzes were also deposited in shrines such as those at Surkh Dum. These objects include decorated pins, pendants, bracelets, cheek-pieces and other horse trappings, and elaborate standards, and are often decorated with complex animal imagery. The interest in horse decoration by the bronze workers of Luristan reflects the region’s importance as a centre for horse breeding. Indeed the Assyrians from north Mesopotamia sought horses from the plains of western Iran for the cavalry that allowed them to dominate the region from the Mediterranean to the Persian Gulf.