Over 5,200 years ago at the dawn of the urban era one of the largest cities in the Bronze Age existed on the banks of the Helmand River in southeastern Iran. This bustling and wealthy city was a vast trading post on the crossroads of the East and West. Before being abandoned in 2100BC it was burnt down and rebuilt three times. The city has many incongruities. It was highly advanced and “just appeared out of nowhere”. It has been continuously excavated since the 1970s by Iranian and Italian archaeologists and no weapons have ever been discovered at the site. What has been discovered include the earliest artificial eye, the oldest record of backgammon, dice and the earliest animation. This remarkable piece of pottery depicts 5 images of a wild goat leaping to snatch leaves from a tree. Like a zoetrope this could be plainly seen when viewed on a potter’s wheel.

Joe Liska
Director of Marketing & Sales, Hyperspective Studios