Set of Three Middle/New Kingdom Stone Duck Weights - FJ.2710 Origin: Egypt Circa: 2100 BC to 1100 BC Collection: Egyptian Antiquities Style: New Kingdom Medium: Stone

Set of Three Middle/New Kingdom Stone Duck Weights - FJ.2710 Origin: Egypt Circa: 2100 BC to 1100 BC Collection: Egyptian Antiquities Style: New Kingdom Medium: Stone   « Less

This exquisite weapon was forged at a time when bronze was the most valuable metal, worth far more than gold. Thus the intrinsic value of this object in its own time leads  More »

This exquisite weapon was forged at a time when bronze was the most valuable metal, worth far more than gold. Thus the intrinsic value of this object in its own time leads one to question its function. Was it simply a Spear Head used for hunting or self-defense? Did it serve a higher ritual purpose; we will never know the answer, how ever we can assume that it was cherished in its own time. Not only was the material precious, but also the handle of the implement is decorated with an intricate pattern. What warrior or general might have wielded this weapon in battle? While these questions will remain a mystery, the beauty of this spear head is unquestionable. The Bronze Age was a period in the civilization's development when the most advanced metalworking (at least in systematic and widespread use) consisted of techniques for smelting copper and tin from naturally occurring outcroppings of ore, and then alloying those metals in order to cast bronze. The Bronze Age forms part of the three-age system for prehistoric societies. In that system, it follows the Neolithic in some areas of the world. In many parts of sub-Saharan Africa, the Neolithic is directly followed by the Iron Age. The place and time of the invention of bronze are controversial, and it is possible that bronzing was invented independently in multiple places. The earliest known tin bronzes are from what is now Iran and Iraq and date to the late 4th millennium BC, but there are claims of an earlier appearance of tin bronze in Thailand in the 5th millennium BC. Arsenical bronzes were made in Anatolia and on both sides of the Caucasus by the early 3rd millennium BC. Some scholars date some arsenical bronze artefacts of the Maykop culture in the North Caucasus as far back as the mid 4th millennium BC, which would make them the oldest known bronzes, but others date the same Maykop artefacts to the mid 3rd millennium BC. The Bronze Age in the Near East is divided into three main periods (the dates are very approximate): • EBA - Early Bronze Age (c.3500-2000 BC) • MBA - Middle Bronze Age (c.2000-1600 BC) • LBA - Late Bronze Age (c.1600-1200 BC) Metallurgy developed first in Anatolia, modern Turkey. The mountains in the Anatolian highland possessed rich deposits of copper and tin. Copper was also mined in Cyprus, Egypt, the Negev desert, Iran and around the Persian Gulf. Copper was usually mixed with arsenic, yet the growing demand for tin resulted in the establishment of distant trade routes in and out of Anatolia. The precious copper was also imported by sea routes to the great kingdoms of Ancient Egypt and Mesopotamia. - (AR.008)   « Less

Origin: Israel Circa: 3300 BC to 2300 BC Collection: Biblical Antiquities Style: Axe

Origin: Israel Circa: 3300 BC to 2300 BC Collection: Biblical Antiquities Style: Axe   « Less

Origin: Near East Circa: 1900 BC to 1700 BC Dimensions: 1.375" (3.5cm) high x 1" 2.5cm) wide Collection: Biblical Antiquities Style: Bronze Age Medium: Stone

Origin: Near East Circa: 1900 BC to 1700 BC Dimensions: 1.375" (3.5cm) high x 1" 2.5cm) wide Collection: Biblical Antiquities Style: Bronze Age Medium: Stone   « Less

The Bronze Age was a period in the civilization's development when the most advanced metalworking (at least in systematic and widespread use) consisted of techniques for  More »

The Bronze Age was a period in the civilization's development when the most advanced metalworking (at least in systematic and widespread use) consisted of techniques for smelting copper and tin from naturally occurring outcroppings of ore, and then alloying those metals in order to cast bronze. The Bronze Age forms part of the three-age system for prehistoric societies. In that system, it follows the Neolithic in some areas of the world. In many parts of sub-Saharan Africa, the Neolithic is directly followed by the Iron Age. The place and time of the invention of bronze are controversial, and it is possible that bronzing was invented independently in multiple places. The earliest known tin bronzes are from what is now Iran and Iraq and date to the late 4th millennium BC, but there are claims of an earlier appearance of tin bronze in Thailand in the 5th millennium BC. Arsenical bronzes were made in Anatolia and on both sides of the Caucasus by the early 3rd millennium BC. Some scholars date some arsenical bronze artefacts of the Maykop culture in the North Caucasus as far back as the mid 4th millennium BC, which would make them the oldest known bronzes, but others date the same Maykop artefacts to the mid 3rd millennium BC. The Bronze Age in the Near East is divided into three main periods (the dates are very approximate): • EBA - Early Bronze Age (c.3500-2000 BC) • MBA - Middle Bronze Age (c.2000-1600 BC) • LBA - Late Bronze Age (c.1600-1200 BC) Metallurgy developed first in Anatolia, modern Turkey. The mountains in the Anatolian highland possessed rich deposits of copper and tin. Copper was also mined in Cyprus, Egypt, the Negev desert, Iran and around the Persian Gulf. Copper was usually mixed with arsenic, yet the growing demand for tin resulted in the establishment of distant trade routes in and out of Anatolia. The precious copper was also imported by sea routes to the great kingdoms of Ancient Egypt and Mesopotamia. - (DA.705)   « Less

Origin: Isreal Circa: 1500 BC to 1200 BC Collection: Biblical Style: Bronze Age Medium: Bronze

Origin: Isreal Circa: 1500 BC to 1200 BC Collection: Biblical Style: Bronze Age Medium: Bronze   « Less

This elegant figure pertains to the Sumerian civilisation, an extremely advanced and complex society situated in modern day Iraq. Lasting for some fourthousandyears,the  More »

This elegant figure pertains to the Sumerian civilisation, an extremely advanced and complex society situated in modern day Iraq. Lasting for some fourthousandyears,the Sumerians were among the first cultures todevelopmostofwhatwenowtakeforgranted, from complex economies to advanced record keeping,literature,internationaltradeand recorded mythologies. In terms of date, we know that it comes from a period known as the ate Uruktothelate Early Dynastic,whichisroughlycontemporarywiththe European Bronze Age. However,wealsohaveagreatdealmoreinformationtoaddcontext.Thanks to the Sumerian habit of recording everything on clay tablets using cuneiform – oneofthefirstcomplexwritingsystemswecaninferagreatdealaboutthesociety,andpostulate further on the significance of this figure. We know that Sumer was characterised by various city-states, running in competition with one another for wealthandconquest,whilesharingsimilarcharacteristicsandmaterialgoods.Theyusedslavelabour,basedaroundlargetemplesandpalaces,andwerekeentoformalliancesandthuspushouttheboundriesoftheirnationinto Central Asiaand Turkey.Theirtradenetworkswereextensive,andcoloniesof Sumerianpeopleshavebeenidentifiedallacrosstheregion.Rulewasbykingship;rulers varied considerable in their methods although extreme cruelty and martial law (such as that exercised under Eannatum of Lagash) was the exception rather than the rule. It is significant to note that many oftherulersof Sumeriancitystatesweredescribedaspriestkings”,whichhintsatthesignificanceofthepriestlyclassinancient Mesopotamia.Theempleswerethemainstayoflocaleconomies.Itwasherethatproducewasbroughtastax,legalproceedingscarriedoutanddealswerestruck.Recordsofthisperiodarealmostexclusivelywrittenbyscribeswholivedwithinthetemplewallsandworkedundertheauspicesoftheadministrators,whowerethemselvesundertheauthorityofthepriests.Itis,therefore,difficulttooverestimatetheimportanceofpriestsintheeyesofthecontemporarypopulation.Stone Sculpture of a Priest AM.0096Origin:Central Asia Circa:3000BCto2500BCDimensions:8(20.3cm)high Collection:Near Eastern Style:Sumerian Medium: Stone   « Less

Origin: Jericho, Israel Circa: 1500 BC to 1200 BC Dimensions: 3.125" (7.9cm) high Catalogue: V1 Collection: Biblical Style: Canaanite Medium: Bronze

Origin: Jericho, Israel Circa: 1500 BC to 1200 BC Dimensions: 3.125" (7.9cm) high Catalogue: V1 Collection: Biblical Style: Canaanite Medium: Bronze   « Less

Origin: Egypt Circa: 1600 BC to 1100 BC Collection: Egyptian Antiquities Style: New Kingdom Medium: Steatite By far the most important amulet in ancient Egypt was the  More »

Origin: Egypt Circa: 1600 BC to 1100 BC Collection: Egyptian Antiquities Style: New Kingdom Medium: Steatite By far the most important amulet in ancient Egypt was the scarab, symbolically as sacred to the Egyptians as the cross is to Christians. Based upon the dung beetle, this sacred creature forms a ball of dung around its semen and rolls it in a large ball over the sand dropping it into its burrow. The female lays her eggs on the ground and covers them with the excrement ball that is consumed by the larvae that emerge in the following days as if miraculously reborn. In the life cycle of the beetle, the Ancient Egyptians envisioned a microcosm of the daily rebirth of the sun. They imagined the ancient sun god Khepri was a great scarab beetle rolling the sun across the heavens. The scarab also became a symbol of the enduring human soul as well, hence its frequent appearance in funerary art. Scarabs of various materials form an important class of Egyptian antiquities. Though they first appeared in the late Old Kingdom (roughly 2575–2130 B.C.), scarabs remained rare until Middle Kingdom times (circa 1938-1600 B.C.) when they were fashioned in great numbers. While some were used as ornaments, others were purely amuletic in purpose. - (FJ.2718A)   « Less

Alabaster Reptilian Vessel - OF.127 Origin: Egypt Circa: 16 th Century BC to 11 th Century BC Dimensions: 4.5" (11.4cm) high x 5.8" (14.7cm) wide Collection: Egyptian  More »

Alabaster Reptilian Vessel - OF.127 Origin: Egypt Circa: 16 th Century BC to 11 th Century BC Dimensions: 4.5" (11.4cm) high x 5.8" (14.7cm) wide Collection: Egyptian Antiquities Style: New Kingdom Medium: Alasbaster   « Less