Rhyton: The Buffalo-Slayer Goddess, 500-700. Because the woman's widely set, heavy-lidded eyes suggest Indian facial types, she may well represent a Sasanian goddess who was associated with the cult of the Indian god Shiva. Known in India as Durga, Shiva's wife, and in Iran as Nana, she decapitated a demon who appeared in buffalo form. This was found crushed flat in tombs; its reconstruction took many months to complete.

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Keywords: 500s, 600s, afghanistan, art, cleveland, gandhara, heritage, iran, metalwork, museum, sasanian, silver, unknown