A Copper Statuette from South-Eastern Iran (3rd Millennium BC)

We present a copper alloy statuette confiscated by the Iranian security forces in the sur-roundings of Jiroft (Kerman, Iran) with other artifacts of the 3rd millennium B.C. Its ico-nography is discussed with synthetic reviews of selected snake-related iconographic themes in coeval ancient Mesopotamia, Iran, and southern Central Asia. Two micro-frag-ments, analyzed by ESEM, revealed the alloy and an unusual decorative treatment of its surface. The statuette hints at an important mythological or religious identity so far un-known.