When ancient Persia was at her height,
this
elegant vessel might have held an offering
of oil
or honey. Perhaps it was left as a votive at
the
shrine of a powerful deity. As we hold it in
our
hands today, admiring its simple beauty,
we are
aware of the touch of other hands long
ago. Who
might have held it when it was new? Were
the
dreams and emotions that guided their
lives so
very different from our own? The vessel's
graceful unadorned shape appeals as
much to
the contemporary eye as it did to the
culture
that created it. Such artifacts ordinary
enough in
their own age connect us in an intimate
way with
the world of the past. In its presence, we
cross
the bridge of time and set the imagination
on a
wondrous journey of discovery.
- (PF.1649)
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