The Achaemenid Empire was founded by Cyrus the Great in 550 BC. Spanning from the Balkans and Egypt in the west to central Asia and the Indus Valley in the East, it was the largest empire the world had ever seen at the time. Beginning from Persis, in the southwest Iranian Plateau, the Persians under Cyrus went on to defeat the Median Empire as well as Lydia and the Neo-Babylonian Empire, enabling them to formally establish the Achaemenid dynasty. The empire lasted until around 330 BC, when it was conquered by Alexander the Great as part of the formation of his Macedonian Empire. It is famed within history for successfully implementing a centralised bureaucratic administration system, building complex infrastructure such as roads and a postal system, and developing civil services including a large professional army. It also produced a great amount of art, including architecture, frieze reliefs, metalwork, glazed brick masonry, and small luxury items, including ivory objects such as this one.

This small ivory object has a rounded base, and sloping sides which narrow slightly towards the rim. It is hollow inside. The top section, just under the rim, is decorated with stripes of pattern, including lines and triangular shapes. Underneath this, the main body of the object is carved with a scene including four feline animals. They are arranged in pairs, with their bodies facing away from each other but their heads turned back so that their gazes meet. Their tails are raised upwards and cross over between them. Their back paws rest on the ground, but their front paws are lifted and joined together with the front paws of the animals in the other pair. This forms a continuous connection between all the animals represented. Their bodies are strong and sinuous, and their faces are carved with miniature detail, including large eyes. Because of this object’s small size and hollow shape, it could have been used as a handle for a larger object, or as a small jar for something like a cosmetic product.