A "flame and frond" ivory plaque from the neo-hittite excavations at arslantepe/melid. regionalisms and communities in iron age anatolia

This paper presents a new outstanding discovery from 2016 at the site of Arslantepe (Malatya, SE Turkey), a finely made ivory plaque found in an Iron Age context approximately dated at the beginning of the 8th century BCE. The object belongs to the well-known "Flame and Frond" ivory carving school and its discovery at Arslantepe suggests intriguing cross-cultural relationships with the Levantine and northern Mesopotamian worlds. The article describes and discusses the new find within the corpus of the 1st millennium BCE Near Eastern production of ivory and luxury goods. It aims at evaluating innovative aspects of intercultural communication as well as the legacy of ancient traditions in the formation of the new artistic trends at Arslantepe and within the flourishing of the Iron Age societies.