Context (Production / use)
Used in initiation rituals for Zoroastrian priests during the Qajar dynasty of Iran (c.1794 - 1925)
Event Date 4/6/2015
Author: maa

Description (Physical description)
Ceremonial mace surmounted with the head of a horned bull. Rounded terminal at base of shaft. Perforations created for nostrils and possibly within the ears. Several small marks on shaft indicating rust. White corrosion at junction of shaft and head and in left ear. Quite heavy corrosion.
Event Date 4/6/2015
Author: maa

Description (Physical description)
Gorz. A sceptre used as part of the initiation rituals for Zoroastrian priests. It is made from iron, with a long cylindrical shaft that is rounded at the bottom and has a finial in the shape of a bull at the top. The bull has crescent-shaped horns, ears protruding from the sides, and perforations for the nostrils. There is a white mark at the junction of the shaft and head and in left ear, possibly corrosion product.
Event Date 5/6/2023
Author: Eleanor Beestin-Sheriff