Bowl from the Bactrian culture, 3rd-2nd millennia BC.
Alabaster.
In good condition.
Provenance: Private collection, London, acquired in the 1990s. Previously acquired from a London gallery.
Weight: 5.8 kg.
Measurements: 24 cm (length).
An alabaster bowl with no decoration other than its elegant lines and neat profiles. Bactriana, also called Bactria, is the ancient Greek name for the area of Central Asia located between the Hindu Kush (to the south) and the Amu Darya River (to the north). Today this territory corresponds to northern Afghanistan, southern Uzbekistan and Tajikistan. A fertile region of oases and mountains, since ancient times Bactria has been an important and almost obligatory stop for trade routes and communication between the Far East, the Indian subcontinent and the Mediterranean basin. Of particular importance in this region is the Bactria-Margiana archaeological complex, the modern archaeological designation of the Bronze Age in Central Asian culture, dating from around 2200-1700.