This small jar, with a decorative ridge in relief that extends the neck and modifies its proportions, is more elaborate in shape than most other contemporary stone vessels. The perfectly globular body stands on its own despite the absence of base. The lip is flat.
Such jars are largely documented all throughout the Near Eastern world. Our example is in the shape of a drop; the regular, rounded profile of the body is only interrupted in the upper part by a sharp, thick ridge on the neck. The circular mouth is delineated by a flat, angular lip.
This hemispherical vessel is provided, near the lip, with a horizontal, perfectly cylindrical spout. It is simply decorated with a frieze of zigzag pattern in relief. Despite its reduced size, this vessel is outstanding for its technical precision: all the details of the shape and decoration were carefully executed.
In the Near Eastern world, stone vases were considered luxury goods and belonged to high-ranking individuals or to the treasures of sanctuaries: they were used to store valuable materials (ointments, liquids for female toiletry for instance; but also wheat, oils, etc., given the size of the vessel), as ritual vessels for religious cults, as grave goods.
A conical bowl, with a perfectly flat circular bottom that provides a good balance to the vessel. Flat and angular lip. The mottled stone, covered with small darker inclusions, gives the surface a unique and original decoration. The vessel has an accurate, perfectly regular shape; it would have been shaped using a potter’s wheel, and hollowed out by drilling.
Carved from a block of pink limestone, this large bowl with a rounded profile has a slightly asymmetrical shape and an irregular edge, nevertheless highlighted by a band with a thicker relief.