Axel Shaft Cup, c. 800-700 BC. Luristan, on Iran's western frontier, and Markik and Amlash in the north were the sites of flourishing civilizations. However, since this civilization left little in the way of written records, all that we know about them has been guessed from the works of art they fashioned. Luristan, one of the ancient centers of the horsebreeding industry, is best known for its bronze objects, many of them supposed to be horse or chariot trappings. Luristan supplied the Assyrian Empire not only with horses but also the hardware associated with them.