Step 2 of 12

Riding a bull

Detail on votive pin with Decorated Disc, 800-600 BC. Iran, Luristan - The Cleveland Museum of Art [1963.257](https://www.clevelandart.org/art/1963.257 )

Detail on votive pin with Decorated Disc, 800-600 BC. Iran, Luristan - The Cleveland Museum of Art 1963.257

The traditional way to determine the shield’s antiquity is to ask an art historical expert. Some of these experts found the decoration on the shield strange and suspicious. Did its makers not understand what they were doing or were they following their own imagination? This question is difficult to answer, as there are no known objects with comparable imagery.

One of the images that has gained attention is this man. What is he doing? The bull is fitted with a saddle, but the man seems to be neither riding the bull nor standing next to it. Rather, he somehow hovers next to it mid-air. And why would someone use a bull for travelling when your region is so famous for its horsemanship?