Egyptian, Nagada II, ca. 3500-3200 B.C.

Basalt

H: 6.5 cm

Provenance: Ex- private collection, Alexandria, collected in 1950; thence by descent, Geneva; S. Aboutaam collection, acquired in Geneva, 1993; thence by descent, 1998

Serial No.: 31

This beautiful basalt bowl is an excellent example of a type. Carved from dark greyish black basalt, the design is simple and elegant: a globular body adorned only by two ring handles pierced by small drill-made holes; the broad lip is flat and flaring; the base is flat..

Bowls such as ours, modelled in terracotta or carved in stone, were common in the late 4th and early 5th millennia. Their size was variable, ranging from miniatures to large vessels more than 20 cm in height and 15 cm in diameter.

These stone vessels were principally used as containers for unguents and cosmetic oils, kept fresh by the thickness and impermeability of the jars’ walls. These ointments not only had many everyday uses (for medicinal purposes), but were also of utmost importance in religious rituals (as temple offerings, for the daily anointment of statues and cult objects) and in the funerary sphere (for the preparation of mummies, since they were believed to have a rejuvenating and generative effect). Therefore, it is not surprising that a significant quantity of these stone containers, where found in sanctuaries and funerary settings.