Qualla: Marlik

Marlik: Introduction

Sat, 28 Feb 2026 00:00:00 GMT

Photo credit .José, Public domain. A golden cup 18 centimeters tall, covered in griffin-like figures and winged bulls, sat in a tomb for three thousand years before anyone found it. The Marlik Cup, as it became known, was struck from pure gold by craftsmen whose names vanished millennia ago but whose skill would later grace Iran's 500-rial banknote. The cup came from Marlik, a rocky mound near Roudbar in Gilan Province, where the valley of the Gohar Rud -- the "gem river" -- cuts through northern Iran toward the Caspian lowlands.

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Image: .José | Public domain

Marlik: The Mound Among the Orchards

Sat, 28 Feb 2026 00:00:00 GMT

Photo credit Unknown artist, Public domain. Marlik rises as a rocky outcrop capped by several meters of sediment, surrounded by olive groves and fruit gardens maintained by local villagers. Below the mound, rice paddies step down the lower slopes of the valley toward the Gohar Rud, a tributary of the Sepid Rud. The site is...

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Image: Unknown artist | Public domain

Marlik: Tombs of Rank and Ritual

Sat, 28 Feb 2026 00:00:00 GMT

Photo credit NearEMPTiness, CC BY-SA 4.0. The tombs varied dramatically in size and construction, reflecting the social hierarchies of the people who built them. The smallest, Tomb 4, measured just 1.5 by 1 by 1 meter. The largest, Tomb 52, stretched 7 by 4.5 by 2.5 meters. Some were roughly dug pits lined with local sto...

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Image: NearEMPTiness | CC BY-SA 4.0

Marlik: Gold, Silver, and Bronze

Sat, 28 Feb 2026 00:00:00 GMT

Photo credit BrokenSphere, CC BY-SA 3.0. The grave goods made Marlik famous. Golden cups decorated with friezes of gazelles. A silver cup edged with the image of a sheep. A double-headed eagle vessel. Bronze bracelets. Cow-shaped earthenware. Animal-form vases. Disc-shaped necklaces. The artistry combined influences fro...

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Image: BrokenSphere | CC BY-SA 3.0

Marlik: Migrants from the East

Sat, 28 Feb 2026 00:00:00 GMT

Photo credit Daderot, CC0. Who were the people of Marlik? The archaeological evidence points to Iranian-speaking migrants who moved into the region from Central Asia during the early to mid-2nd millennium BC. The abundance of weapons, horse trappings, and horse burials among the grave goods has been cited ...

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Image: Daderot | CC0