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LONDON, (CAIS) -- The first world animated painting belonging to 5000 years ago along with 150 historical relics will be put on display from 28^th of May in an exhibition under the title of “10,000 years Persian Culture and Civilization”. This animation depicted a wild goat on an earthenware barrel in a position of jumping towards a bush to eat it. This animated painting was discovered in Burnt City in Sistan va Baluchestan province, southeastern Iran.

Mentioning that it would be the first time the animated goblet of Burnt City is ever to go on display, Mohammad Reza Kargar, director of Iran’s National Museum said: “In an attempt to choose a number of most unique historical objects which have never been displayed before, the earthenware animated goblet of the Burnt City has also been selected to put for public display in this exhibition.”

During their excavations in Burnt City in 1983, Italian archaeologists found a 5000- year-old goblet in a grave with the design of a wild goat and a tree. Further studies by archaeologists on this goblet revealed that there is a unique characteristic about this discovered goblet. What has made this one distinguished compared to the other ones unearthed so far is that the painting on this goblet has been repeated in a meaningful manner which shows the movement of a wild goat towards a bush during different positions. The artist who created this design used the goblet as his canvass to show the movement of the wild goat towards the tree for feeding itself in 5 movements.

Images of wild goat (Capra Aegagrus also known as 'Persian desert Ibex') and fish are the most prominent designs works on earthenware dishes which have been unearthed so far in Burnt City which was one of the most civilized and developed civilization during ancient times. This painting shows the movement of images in the shortest time on a goblet with an 8- centimetre mouth. On some other earthenware dishes which have been unearthed in Burnt City, a number of repeated images can be seen which do not move. From archaeologists’ point of view, people who lived in this city during ancient times were very clever, artist and well developed. This 10-centimetre goblet was placed on the top of a pillar and was used for drinking.

Kargar further explained that in addition to this animation and the most ancient banner of Iran discovered in Shahdād, a number of other unique historical relics ranging in date from the 7^th millennium BCE to the Qajar dynastic era (1787-1921) will go on public display for the first time. “Some of these objects might have been probably go on display for a while when they were discovered, however since they were displayed for a very short period of time, a very few number of people had the chance to see them. Regarding to the fact that this exhibition will be held before the renovation of Iran Ancient Museum, we have tried to select a collection of unique artifacts in the exhibition.”

The exhibition of “10,000 years Persian Art and Civilization” was due to be held on February 2007, however, since the catalogue of the exhibition was not ready and since the appropriate condition for holding the exhibition was not prepared, the exhibition has been postponed until now.

This exhibition will be officially inaugurated tomorrow in the second floor of Iran’s National Museum with the presence of Esfaniar Rahim Mashayi, president of ICHTO and a number of cultural heritage experts and authorities.

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