Hemispherical Near Eastern Alabaster Bowl

Product Description

This vessel, with a well-rounded profile, is supported by a flat, well-balanced base; the rim is simple, without lip. The decoration is limited to a single geometric pattern, a small circle with a central dot, represented several times on the rim and on the body of the vessel (three vertical double series, frieze under the rim).

Despite a slight asymmetry, it is worth noting the remarkable technical accuracy of the objet: all details of the shape and decoration are very carefully rendered. Such a high degree of accuracy would have been achieved by the use of a rotating technique, probably employing some sort of lathe and/or a tool similar to a drill to hollow out the interior. The vessel was finally smoothed and polished with sand or emery.

In the Neolithic period already, stone vessels had a key role in the Near Eastern economies, since they can be found almost everywhere (from Egypt to the Mesopotamian, Iranian or Bactrian worlds), in many shapes, for varied uses, in various dimensions and stones.

Additional information