The British Museum describes this piece as a Parthian temple
sculpture of Mercury, the Roman god of trade and the
messenger. Other sources describe it as Hermes (the Greek
equivalent god). The date given for this piece by the British
Museum is the first century of the Common Era. Other
sources add a century on either side. The artifact was collected
at Masjid-i Suleiman in modern day Iran. At the time it was
created it was located in the Parthian Empire which ruled the
area from 248 BCE to 224 CE. Masid-i Suleiman would have
been close to the border of the Roman Empire at this time.
His beard indicates a fusion of the two cultures.
November 26, 2018
British Museum, London, England