This hollow, 4.5-inch-tall head of beaten gold, depicting a handsome youth and perhaps originally part of a statue, probably dates to the end of the Achaemenid Persian period (fifth-fourth century B.C.) or slightly later. Its details betray a high level of skill in metalworking: Ultra-fine, wavy grooves on the crown represent the young man’s hair, and the individual hairs in the eyebrows are visible. Faint rings encircle the irises of the almond-shaped eyes. The ears are pierced with noticeable holes. The gold head is one of about 170 items that constitute the Oxus treasure, a hoard of gold and […]
