The advanced and prosperous civilisations in some of those centres. particularly, for example, in ilam, in southwestern iran, i draw your attention to a very fine little bronze group which shows a man and a woman, possibly a king and a queen. they are worshipping figures, and it was undoubtedly something that was put into a shrine in order to represent the supplicants in perpetuity. also some very interesting gold vessels from the malik area, just to the south of the caspian sea. the area was controlled by robber barons who made themselves very wealthy by exacting tolls on people using the eas...