Nearly rectangular in form, this plaque features a mythological figure in relief in the form of a bearded man with bulls horns and ears, his head rendered frontally, wearing  More »

Nearly rectangular in form, this plaque features a mythological figure in relief in the form of a bearded man with bulls horns and ears, his head rendered frontally, wearing Persian trousers and cloak, with a cylindrial object in his left hand, a crescent moon and incised star above. The plaque perhaps served as a matrix for the fabrication of sheet-metalfigures.Provenance:Royal-Athena Galleries,New York,1988-(LA.555Achaemenid Bronze Plaque - LA.555Origin: Persia Circa: 500 BCto400BCimensions:3.875" (9.8cm) high Collection: Near Eastern Antiquities Style:Achaemenid   « Less

Spouted Jug - PF.7009Origin: Central Asia Circa: 1600 BC to 600 BCDimensions: 5" (12.7cm) high Collection: Near Eastern Medium: Terracotta

Spouted Jug - PF.7009Origin: Central Asia Circa: 1600 BC to 600 BCDimensions: 5" (12.7cm) high Collection: Near Eastern Medium: Terracotta   « Less

Terracotta figurines such as these ones have been unearthed at Mohenjo-daro and Harappa, suggesting a commonality of style and purpose throughout the Indus Valley during the  More »

Terracotta figurines such as these ones have been unearthed at Mohenjo-daro and Harappa, suggesting a commonality of style and purpose throughout the Indus Valley during the mature Harappan period (ca. 2600-2450 BCE). Like many figurines datable to this period, the front and back legs are joined together. In one excavated example from Chanu-daro a hole was poked in the belly, indicating that it would have been attached to a stick for use as a puppet or a small standard of the kind carried in the processions depicted on some seals. In others a hole is visible on the back rather than the belly, thus suggesting a different use, perhaps as musical instruments of some sort.Terracotta figurines such as these ones have been unearthed at Mohenjo-daro and Harappa, suggesting a commonality of style and purpose throughout the Indus Valley during the mature Harappan period (ca. 2600-2450 BCE). Like many figurines datable to this period, the front and back legs are joined together. In one excavated example from Chanu-daro a hole was poked in the belly, indicating that it would have been attached to a stick for use as a puppet or a small standard of the kind carried in the processions depicted on some seals. In others a hole is visible on the back rather than the belly, thus suggesting a different use, perhaps as musical instruments of some sort.   « Less

Pottery Figurine of a Recumbent Lion - LO.874Origin: Mesopotamia Circa: 900 BC to 700 BCDimensions: 5.9" (15.0cm) high x 9.50" (24.1cm) wide Collection:Near Eastern Art  More »

Pottery Figurine of a Recumbent Lion - LO.874Origin: Mesopotamia Circa: 900 BC to 700 BCDimensions: 5.9" (15.0cm) high x 9.50" (24.1cm) wide Collection:Near Eastern Art Style: Assyrian Medium: Earthenware   « Less

Terracotta jug with a large watering mouth with bulging rim, the spout shaped as the protome of a ram, the handle attached to the Jug with Zoomorphic  More »

Terracotta jug with a large watering mouth with bulging rim, the spout shaped as the protome of a ram, the handle attached to the Jug with Zoomorphic Spout-LO.924Origin:Central Asia Circa: 1000 BC to 650 BC Dimensions: 5.5" (14.0cm) high Near stern Art Medium: earthenware   « Less

Created during the age of the biblical patriarchs, this simple but charming vessel glows with the rich patina of history. Who can say through whose hands it might have passed  More »

Created during the age of the biblical patriarchs, this simple but charming vessel glows with the rich patina of history. Who can say through whose hands it might have passed centuries ago? It was perhaps from such a jug that Abraham anointed Isaac in the moment before the angel appeared. Or perhaps it held perfume, purchased as a gift by a loving husband for his wife. Such a vessel would have been a necessity in the ancient world to contain and transport precious oils and unguents for ritual or daily usage. Although its original contents have long disappeared, the energy of those vanished lives is still contained within this vessel. This jug was once a vital, indispensable part of everyday life in the ancient world. Today, it is even more valuable to our modern lives, not as a container, but as a symbol of the past. This jug holds history inside, it reminds us of the lives, the joys and struggles, the triumphs and defeats, of those who came before us. Whose hands might have held it so long ago we can only guess, yet the connection is a direct one between our age and theirs. - (SP.374)   « Less

Origin: Egypt Circa: 6000 BC to 4000 BC Dimensions: 5.375" (13.7cm) high x 2.25" (5.7cm) wide Collection: Egyptian Style: Neolithic Medium: Flint The creation of tools  More »

Origin: Egypt Circa: 6000 BC to 4000 BC Dimensions: 5.375" (13.7cm) high x 2.25" (5.7cm) 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.1132)   « Less

Origin: Egypt Circa: 6000 BC to 4000 BC Dimensions: 4.875" (12.4cm) high x 2.25" (5.7cm) wide Collection: Egyptian Style: Neolithic Medium: Flint The creation of tools  More »

Origin: Egypt Circa: 6000 BC to 4000 BC Dimensions: 4.875" (12.4cm) high x 2.25" (5.7cm) 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.1133)   « Less

Origin: Egypt Circa: 6000 BC to 4000 BC Dimensions: 5" (12.7cm) 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: 5" (12.7cm) 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.1136)   « Less

Origin: Egypt Circa: 6000 BC to 4000 BC Dimensions: 5" (12.7cm) high x 2.75" (7.0cm) wide Collection: Egyptian Style: Neolithic Medium: Flint The creation of tools  More »

Origin: Egypt Circa: 6000 BC to 4000 BC Dimensions: 5" (12.7cm) high x 2.75" (7.0cm) 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.1137)   « Less