Ancient Near East, Mesopotamia, Sumer, ca. 3000 to 2000 BCE. Roman, Imperial Period, ca. 1st to 4th century CE; Near East, Persian Empire / Egypt, Islamic culture, ca. 7th to 11th century CE. A collection of 4 Near Eastern & Roman glass beads and a Sumerian stone duck bead pendant or a weight. The duck rests with the long neck turned with head folded over its back The underside of the duck is etched with a star and crescent symbol - in ancient Sumerian iconography, these celestial forms are associated with the moon god Sin and the star with Ishtar. Stone ducks carved into similar "sleeping" poses were used to check the accuracy of payment and would be placed on pan scales, their weight corresponded to local standardized units used for business transactions known as talents and mina. This petite piece could have been a scale weight and/or a pendant charm to wear for protection or as a temple offering. Size of largest glass bead: 1.125" Diameter x 0.65" W (2.9 cm x 1.7 cm)

Provenance: East Coast collection, New York Gallery, New York City, New York, USA, acquired before 2010

All items legal to buy/sell under U.S. Statute covering cultural patrimony Code 2600, CHAPTER 14, and are guaranteed to be as described or your money back.

A Certificate of Authenticity will accompany all winning bids.

We ship worldwide to most countries and handle all shipping in-house for your convenience.

#143054

Surface wear and pitting to glass beads. Chips to ribs on largest bead. Light mineral deposits on interior holes of all. Overall great condition.