Ca. 350 BC. Hellenistic period. This Graeco/Achaemenid silver phiale (shallow bowl) comprises a simple, flat rim, hemispherical walls and a flattened base. Hammered from a single sheet of metal, the phiale has petals in fine regular repoussé work chased into the silver surface. Good condition. Libation bowls, known as phiale, were used across a wide geographical area - from Greece to Tibet, throughout the ancient Near East and Central Asia. These shallow bowls for holding wine in ritual and ceremonial settings were made from many materials - glass, ceramic, and many kinds of metal. In the Achaemenid Empire, phialai functioned both as tableware and as wealth. They could be stored in the royal treasury or given as gifts to notables. Therefore, owning a phiale such as this one signalled elite status within the Achaemenid Empire. Fluted phialai like this one seem to have been inspired by the Assyrians and remarkably similar items are found across the Achaemenid Empire, attesting to the existence of a central iconography and artistic style. Size: L:45mm / W:215mm ; 370g. Provenance: Property of a West London gentleman; previously in a collection formed on the UK/International art market in the 1970s.