It is postulated that the mysterious Bactria-Margiana Archaeological Complex, discovered in the mid Twentieth Century AD by Soviet archaeologists, originated among nomadic peoples of the Central Asian plateau, alongside immigrants from what is now Iran. The nomadic ancestry of the Bactrians explains the civilisation’s remarkable relationship with the natural world. The animals of the nomadic peoples – camels and horses – were well-represented among Bactrian artistic representations. So, too, were the cattle who were vital both as beasts of burden, for the fertilisation of the fields, and for trampling seed. Dogs would doubtless have been used for hunting, herding, war and companionship. Horses and camels were vital beasts of burden, and also important for transporting individuals and goods around the disparate Bactria=Margiana Region. These animals were also a reference to the nomadic background of the BMAC. And frequent interactions with the animals of the wild shaped aspects of the Bactrian imagination. Lions, for example, both alone and in combat with one another, were a frequent motif in Bactrian art, probably representing the strength and vivacity of the ruler. But there is another recurring class of Bactrian animal figures which requires more detailed explanation: imaginative, charming, endearing representations of monkeys in various scenarios, some of which assimilate them to humans.

This remarkable vessel, which we have called an amphora based on its dual-handled shape, depicts a pair of monkeys. They stand on the shoulders of the vessel, and hold the broad rim, looking as though they are peeking over the vase at one another. This charming, endearing, almost childlike representation, is enormously playful. But we must imagine that this vessel goes far beyond the artisan’s sense of humour. It is a large vessel, with a significant capacity which may indicate that it was used for wine, as was the case for similar-sized vessels from other ancient civilisations. Rising from a ring foot, and with a bulbous body and straight neck, this is a vessel designed for pouring more than mere storage. The rim is broad, and decorated with incised circles. Such a broad rim suggests that the aperture was never intended to be plugged for storage. The shoulders of the vessel, beyond bearing two figurative representations of monkeys, also has inlaid triangles of turquoise and lapis lazuli, two hugely expensive materials, which indicates something of the wealth of the owner, and the importance they placed on this vessel and its contents. Wine, which was hugely ritually significant in the ancient world, was often poured in libation. But many ancient civilisations – the Greeks, Romans, Egyptians and Mesopotamians – used ritualised drinking as an important form of social bonding and as a shared religious experience. Alcohol, and other substances that skew the consciousness, were seen by the earliest peoples as a way of connecting to other planes of existence; later, ritualised drinking was a way of controlling the excesses of those at the higher end of society who could otherwise be tempted into bad behaviour.

The two monkeys represented on the handles are probably rhesus macaques (Macaca mulatta), as indicated by their extended muzzles and long limbs. Rhesus macaques appear in other Bactrian art, and indeed, a recently-discovered burial – from near the Afghanistan-Iran border, and dating from 2800 BC – was of a rhesus macaque, complete with pottery and other grave goods. The ritual burial of animals throughout the territory of the BMAC suggest something far beyond the simply interment of family pets or work animals. Instead, it is possible that these animals were special sacrifices to relevant gods – similar to the burial of mummified animals in Egypt from around the same time – or that they were being honoured in some other way. In other cultures, monkeys have multiplicitous symbolic meanings, including wisdom, youth, good fortune, trickery and guardianship. It is reasonable to assume that at least some of these meanings existed for the Bactrians.