The Layton cup is essentially a horn-shaped cup, which was popular in ancient West Asia and Europe. It seems relatively rare to unearth this thing in China. This is one of the points. The second is that the shape of the cup above fits perfectly with the agate material used to make it. The onyx pattern on the agate moves along the curve of the cup body, which is a good example of exquisite carving. Some people have verified that it was carved by local Chinese craftsmen imitating Persian shapes, but the author wants to say that the material characteristics of this ocher-brown agate with orange and white onyx patterns are very similar to those of agate produced in Persia.
The Sogdians, centered in the middle of the river (that is, the area between Sogdiana and the Amu Darya Syr Darya), played an important role in the commercial and cultural exchanges between the East and the West. And following their footsteps, the Lyton Cup, which was popular in West Asia in the early days, was also introduced to China.
Sogdia, the river land connecting East Asia, West Asia and South Asia
Sogdian core cities: Samarkand, Bukhara
When mentioning the Laitong Cup in China, the Sogdians have to be mentioned. That's right, this people of Scythian descent, which is pro-Persian civilization, has always been the first broker to move the rare treasures on the Eurasian continent.
The river of Indo-European civilization overflowed from the Mesopotamia, and neither Egypt, Greece nor Persia could escape the torrent of civilization that started here.
The Ryton Cup is also a good physical example. There are such cups in ancient Greece and ancient Persia in unearthed cultural relics. The formats are also very similar. However, there is a slight difference. It seems that the Greeks are more keen on the realistic style of the head, which is in line with their sculpture art. The works of the Persians have more abstract image refinement - the lion with a curved face and the flat graphics are directly upgraded into three-dimensional images.
Although "desire" often leads people to cheat, plunder, rob and kill, but without desire, all aesthetics, art, and civilization lose their meaning. The term "broker" seems to have been overshadowed by derogatory meaning, but the Sogdians chasing fame and fortune and putting their lives at the stake to do business is still very remarkable. The scenes of "Hu Shang Encountered Pirates" and "Sabo Burning Arm Jataka" in the Dunhuang murals are really touching scenes. The desperate Sogdians unintentionally helped the evolution of civilization on the commercial road.
