National Geographic History - 01 e 02.2022

DISCOVERIES

W

hen exqui-

site bronze

figures be-

gan flood-

ing the antiquities market

in the late 1920s, nobody

knew much about them.

Artworks of people and ani-

mals, embossed bronze cups,

and delicate pins thrilled

dealers, who were awed by

their beauty. Inquiries were

made about their origins,

but answers were somewhat

vague. Rather than name a

specific settlement or civi-

lization, dealers would only

indicate a region in the Zag-

ros Mountains: Luristan

(located in western Iran and

known today as Lorestan).

The deluge of Luristan

bronzes began in fall 1928 in

the sleepy town of Harsin,

some 20 miles east of Ker-

manshah. A local farmer

uncovered several beautiful

bronze objects in his fields

and sold them. Word of

his finds spread, and soon

the town filled with dealers

who bought these works of

art and then sold them on to

museums and private collec-

tions. It was a profitable ar-

rangement that suited many

parties, and very little was

done to stop it.

Great interest in exca-

vating these bronzes arose

among both academics and

locals. André Godard, the di-

rector of the Iranian Archae-

ological Service in 1928, de-

scribed the method used by

the locals to detect a site to

excavate. First they found a

spring. Once that was locat-

ed, there was a high proba-

bility of finding a settlement

nearby with a cemetery. The

formula was simple and

effective: Look for a water

source, and an ancient ne-

cropolis will not be far away.

Archaeologists in the Air

The first Western archae-

ologist to investigate the

bronzes was German-born

archaeologist Erich Schmidt,

who first began explor-

ing Luristan in 1935. His

work at the site was inno-

vative thanks to his wife,

Mary-Helen. The two

shared a passion for archae-

ology: They first met when

visiting the site of Tepe His-

sar in Iran.

Mary-Helen advocated

using airplanes to scope out

the sites from above, and she

bought one for the missions.

Named the Friend of Iran, the

plane surveyed Luristan and

other Iranian sites, including

Persepolis (ancient capital

of the Persian Empire), that

Schmidt would be studying.

After permission was se-

cured from Iran, reconnais-

sance flights flew in 1935-36

and again in 1937. Schmidt’s

aerial photography would

prove valuable not only for

documenting the sites but

also for methodically plan-

ning out the excavations.

In June 1938 Schmidt’s

Ancient Iran’s

Mysterious Bronzes

In the 1930s ancient artifacts recovered in the mountains of Luristan

wowed archaeologists but spawned many questions about their origins.

1935

Erich Schmidt directs

his first excavation in

Luristan and conducts

aerial surveys in the

mountainous region.

1938

Schmidt’s second

Luristan mission focuses

on a site at Surkh Dum.

The dig recovers more

exquisite bronze artifacts.

Finds by Ghent University

and the Royal Museums

of Brussels establish

a chronology for the

Luristan bronzes.

1928 1965-1979

The antiquities market

is flooded with ancient

bronze artifacts from

the Luristan region in

western Iran.

FLOOD

OF

ARTIFACTS

92 JANUARY/FEBRUARY 2022

A HORNED FIGURE

tames mythical

beasts in this

elaborate

cheekpiece from

a horse’s bit,

produced in

Luristan in about

700 b.c. Cleveland

Museum of Art

ARTOKOLORO/ALAMY