8th-7th century B.C. A broad hammered bronze belt or cuirass band decorated in chased low relief, the spectacular decoration disposed in four horizontal registers, divided by five vertical embossed clusters of pellets and rosettes; within the horizontal registers figure of leaping lions and bulls alternating with warriors hunting them from war-chariots; one end with a panelprising three lions on a field of palmettes, the other end with a panel of winged bulls and gryphons; the edges perforated for the fastening to a leather lining, one bronze ring still in situ to one end; mounted on a perspex backing. Cf. ?. ?. ?????. ‘?????????? VI-V ??. ?? ?. ?. ? ????? ?????????’ (Esayan, S.A., Burials of the VI-V centuries BC e. in the mountains of Shamshadin) in ??, 1965, 3, pp.229-232; Born H., Seidl U., Schutzwaffen aus Assyrien und Urartu, Sammlung Axel Guttmann IV, Mainz, 1995, AG230, AG231, AG502; Gorelik, M., Weapons of Ancient East, IV millennium BC-IV century BC, Saint Petersburg, 2003, in Russian. 2.3 kg total, 1.07 m long including backing (42 1/8 in.). Acquired between 1980-1990. Property of a London gentleman. Apanied by an academic report by military specialist Dr. Raffaele D'Amato. This lot has been checked against the Interpol Database of stolen works of art and is apanied by AIAD certificate no.11388-193225. Protective belts in the Caucasus were very popular, especially among Urartians, whose warriors were buried with their belt-cuirasses. The early examples of such belt-cuirasses appeared in Middle East at the beginning of the first millennium B.C., introducing an original fixing system. Instead of simple ties: a hook was first sewn separately to one end of the belt. Later it became part of a massive bronze buckle furnished with a circular ring.