**Originally Listed At $300**

Central Asia, Bactria (Bactria-Margiana/BMAC), ca. 3rd to 2nd millennium BCE. An alabaster jar, almost translucent in light, with beautiful cream-colored and white bands swirling around its body. The bowl curves outward slightly at the shoulder, the corsets inward before flaring into a narrow, flat rim. The bowl sits on a flat base. Size: 3.6" W x 2.25" H (9.1 cm x 5.7 cm)

Alabaster, a light-colored, calcareous stone quarried from the Iranian Plateau, had strong connections in the ancient world to religion and specifically the gods. For example, in the site of Kultepe-Kanes, a huge burial mound, there were many disc-shaped alabaster idols, naked alabaster goddesses, and lion figures. We also know that alabaster was a precious material, widely traded in the region from the 4th millennium BCE onward. A vessel like this one was most likely made to be placed into a tomb to hold offerings.

Provenance: private Illinois, USA collection

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#127273

Small chips from rim. Adhesive mark on underside of base from an old accession sticker. Very light scratching on interior, with some light soil encrustation.