Winged monsters face off on a fifth-century B.C. golden armlet from Persia. Brilliant semi-precious stones or pieces of colored glass originally filled the empty gold cloisons, or cells, that make up the bodies of the beasts. The armlet, along with 150 gold and silver artifacts and more than 1,500 coins, was reportedly found in 1877 on the banks of the Oxus River, on the northern border of modern Afghanistan. Three years later, merchants transporting the treasure to India were attacked by robbers, who ran off with the hoard. Informed of the theft by the merchants’ servant, Captain F.C. Burton, […]
