W324

W324

Stone jar. Limestone cosmetic jar, ovoid with handles and short rim. 6.1cm high.  Aston type 4 (Aston 1994).  

This vessel, from its style, dates to the late Predynastic or Early Dynastic of Egypt, the heyday of stone vessel manufacture. The fine thickness of the walls shows the high quality of craftsmanship in this period, a craftsmanship largely unrivalled later. However, many hundreds of vessels are known from this date. It is possible that at this period of Egyptian history the manufacture of stone vessels was a royal monopoly. Certainly such items appear confined to the graves of the elite.  

See Stocks (2003, 139-165) for information on vessel manufacture. 

This item is from the National Museum of Wales Cardiff. Many of the items which we have from Cardiff were collected by Lord Aberdare. 

Further Reading: 

Aston, B.G. 1994. Ancient Egyptian Stone Vessels Materials and Forms. Heidelberg: Heidelberger Orientverlag.

Stocks, D.A. 2003 Experiments in Egyptian Archaeology. Stoneworking technology in Ancient Egypt. London and New York: Routledge.