ssel with a piriform body terminating in a wide opening, the lowerpartshapedasacaprid protome, his cylindrical snout open, eyes andearsapplied,ornatedhornsjointthetwofront  More »

ssel with a piriform body terminating in a wide opening, the lowerpartshapedasacaprid protome, his cylindrical snout open, eyes andearsapplied,ornatedhornsjointthetwofront legs bent downwards. A small bulging perforation on the chest would have been used tosprinklethewaterout.Similarvesselshavebeententativelyattributedtothe Parthianperiod and an analogous Arthur M. Sackler Collection of Near Eastern Art.Median Terracotta Rhyton with Zoomorphic Terminal - LO.936Origin: Central Asia Circa: 800 BC to 600 BCCollection: Near Eastern Art Style: Median Medium: Terracotta   « Less

So beautiful is this ancient vessel that it transcends the merely functional and becomes a work of art. Imagine the ancient hands that created it, and quickly etched its  More »

So beautiful is this ancient vessel that it transcends the merely functional and becomes a work of art. Imagine the ancient hands that created it, and quickly etched its surface with lines that seem to echo with spontaneous life. Imagine the hands that selected it in the marketplace, and later poured out its contents of oil. Such a jug is far more than shaped clay with the patina of centuries: it is a bond that ties us--if only for a moment--to those long vanished lives. - (P.0405)   « Less

At ancient religious festivals, a rattle such as this might have been shaken to attract the attention of heaven. Imagine it held in the hands of a worshiper centuries ago who  More »

At ancient religious festivals, a rattle such as this might have been shaken to attract the attention of heaven. Imagine it held in the hands of a worshiper centuries ago who blended its noise with that of a thousand like it to honor his gods. We hear also the drumbeats and the wail of the flute, a thousand voices raised in songs of praise, as the colorful procession moved around the courtyard of some vast temple complex. We hold it in our own hands as that person did so long ago and we wonder if its melancholy music reaches the ears of a deity the rest of the world has long since forgotten. - (P.0411)   « Less

Elongated alabaster chalice with splayed foot andevertedflattenedthelongstemslightly  More »

Elongated alabaster chalice with splayed foot andevertedflattenedthelongstemslightly splayedatthebase.Through;themainrawmaterialwassoftsteatiteoradarksoapstone,butalsovariouskindsofmarbleandwhiteveinedalabaster.Themainsourceforthesestones,includinginnorthwestern Afghanistan,whichprovidedmaterialnotonlyforthe Bactrianand Margiancarversbutalsofarthertothewestinto Mesopotamia,forthe Assyriankings.Whiteveinedalabasterwasindeedusedincludingsmallvases with disproportionately long stems and low capacity, such as the one here illustrated.   « Less

The bold, abstract geometry that decorates this charming vessel seems to convey the lively spirit of the ancient people through whose hands it passed so long ago. We remember  More »

The bold, abstract geometry that decorates this charming vessel seems to convey the lively spirit of the ancient people through whose hands it passed so long ago. We remember that these were individuals who laughed and sang, talked, argued and loved. In appearance they were similar to us, though their vision of the world was vastly different. This pot--which perhaps held ritual oil or wine--links us directly to that ancient world. Our hands rest where other hands did in Biblical times; the energy, the bond, is there to be felt. - (P.0450)   « Less

Origin: Egypt Circa: 6000 BC to 4000 BC Dimensions: 5.25" (13.3cm) high x 2.375" (6.0cm) wide Collection: Egyptian Style: Neolithic Medium: Flint The creation of tools  More »

Origin: Egypt Circa: 6000 BC to 4000 BC Dimensions: 5.25" (13.3cm) high x 2.375" (6.0cm) wide Collection: Egyptian Style: Neolithic Medium: Flint The creation of tools utilizing the natural environment is what distinguishes man from animal. What was once created using stone and wood has, over the centuries, evolved into metalworking and modern-day plastics. But it is the simplest tools, those carved from stone, which allowed mankind to conquer the natural environment and to prosper. Holding this flint axe head in our hand, although it appears rough and crude, we are holding the nascent breath of the great civilization of Egypt. From such axe heads would eventually rise the pyramids. Tools allowed mankind to altar the natural settings and to create his own habitats. An axe head like this one, when tied securely to a wooden shaft, could be used to chop wood or to carve meat from a fallen prey. This axe head represents the innate human drive to altar the environment, to innovate, and to create something stronger and more durable. It is in these earliest tools that we are able to witness the birth of civilization. From such tools, mankind learned to carve stones and rocks into new shapes and forms that suited the needs of the people, slowly evolving from primitive axe heads into pyramids and temples. - (N.1103)   « Less

Origin: Egypt Circa: 6000 BC to 4000 BC Dimensions: 4.5" (11.4cm) high x 2.375" (6.0cm) wide Collection: Egyptian Style: Neolithic Medium: Flint The creation of tools  More »

Origin: Egypt Circa: 6000 BC to 4000 BC Dimensions: 4.5" (11.4cm) high x 2.375" (6.0cm) wide Collection: Egyptian Style: Neolithic Medium: Flint The creation of tools utilizing the natural environment is what distinguishes man from animal. What was once created using stone and wood has, over the centuries, evolved into metalworking and modern-day plastics. But it is the simplest tools, those carved from stone, which allowed mankind to conquer the natural environment and to prosper. Holding this flint axe head in our hand, although it appears rough and crude, we are holding the nascent breath of the great civilization of Egypt. From such axe heads would eventually rise the pyramids. Tools allowed mankind to altar the natural settings and to create his own habitats. An axe head like this one, when tied securely to a wooden shaft, could be used to chop wood or to carve meat from a fallen prey. This axe head represents the innate human drive to altar the environment, to innovate, and to create something stronger and more durable. It is in these earliest tools that we are able to witness the birth of civilization. From such tools, mankind learned to carve stones and rocks into new shapes and forms that suited the needs of the people, slowly evolving from primitive axe heads into pyramids and temples. - (N.1104)   « Less

Through the regions of Margianaand Bactrialocalstonecarversexperiencednoshortage in material; the main raw material was soft steatite or a dark soapstone, but also various  More »

Through the regions of Margianaand Bactrialocalstonecarversexperiencednoshortage in material; the main raw material was soft steatite or a dark soapstone, but also various kinds of marble and white-veined alabaster. The main source for thesestones,including semi-precious lapis-lazuli, was in Bactria, at Badakhshan in north-western Afghanistan, which provided material not only for the Bactrian and Margian carvers but also farther to the west into Mesopotamia, for the Assyriankings.White-veinedalabasterwasindeed used for varied vessels, including small vases with disproportionately long stems and low capacity, such as the one here illustrated. ,p> For a comparable Bactrian example see, V. Sarianidi, Margus, Turkmenistan, 2002: p.136. - (LO.1008).Bactrian Alabaster Goblet -LO.1008Origin:Turkmenistan Circa:2000BCto1500BCDimensions:9"(22.9cm) high Collection: Central Asia Style: Bactrio-Margiana Medium: Alabaster   « Less

Origin: Egypt Circa: 6000 BC to 4000 BC Dimensions: 4.5" (11.4cm) high x 2.125" (5.4cm) wide Collection: Egyptian Style: Neolithic Medium: Flint The creation of tools  More »

Origin: Egypt Circa: 6000 BC to 4000 BC Dimensions: 4.5" (11.4cm) high x 2.125" (5.4cm) wide Collection: Egyptian Style: Neolithic Medium: Flint The creation of tools utilizing the natural environment is what distinguishes man from animal. What was once created using stone and wood has, over the centuries, evolved into metalworking and modern-day plastics. But it is the simplest tools, those carved from stone, which allowed mankind to conquer the natural environment and to prosper. Holding this flint axe head in our hand, although it appears rough and crude, we are holding the nascent breath of the great civilization of Egypt. From such axe heads would eventually rise the pyramids. Tools allowed mankind to altar the natural settings and to create his own habitats. An axe head like this one, when tied securely to a wooden shaft, could be used to chop wood or to carve meat from a fallen prey. This axe head represents the innate human drive to altar the environment, to innovate, and to create something stronger and more durable. It is in these earliest tools that we are able to witness the birth of civilization. From such tools, mankind learned to carve stones and rocks into new shapes and forms that suited the needs of the people, slowly evolving from primitive axe heads into pyramids and temples. - (N.1105)   « Less

Origin: Egypt Circa: 6000 BC to 4000 BC Dimensions: 4.75" (12.1cm) high x 2.5" (6.4cm) wide Collection: Egyptian Style: Neolithic Medium: Flint The creation of tools  More »

Origin: Egypt Circa: 6000 BC to 4000 BC Dimensions: 4.75" (12.1cm) high x 2.5" (6.4cm) wide Collection: Egyptian Style: Neolithic Medium: Flint The creation of tools utilizing the natural environment is what distinguishes man from animal. What was once created using stone and wood has, over the centuries, evolved into metalworking and modern-day plastics. But it is the simplest tools, those carved from stone, which allowed mankind to conquer the natural environment and to prosper. Holding this flint axe head in our hand, although it appears rough and crude, we are holding the nascent breath of the great civilization of Egypt. From such axe heads would eventually rise the pyramids. Tools allowed mankind to altar the natural settings and to create his own habitats. An axe head like this one, when tied securely to a wooden shaft, could be used to chop wood or to carve meat from a fallen prey. This axe head represents the innate human drive to altar the environment, to innovate, and to create something stronger and more durable. It is in these earliest tools that we are able to witness the birth of civilization. From such tools, mankind learned to carve stones and rocks into new shapes and forms that suited the needs of the people, slowly evolving from primitive axe heads into pyramids and temples. - (N.1106)   « Less