#CIRCA 3500-3200 B.C.

[blueiscoool]

AN EGYPTIAN GREYWACKE FISH PALETTE PREDYNASTIC PERIOD, NAQADA II, CIRCA 3500-3200 B.C.

[thatshowthingstarted]

An Egyptian greywacke cosmetic palette,

Predynastic Period, Naqada II, circa 3500-3200 B.C.

In the form of a tilipia fish, with open mouth and circular eyes, the fins with serrated edges, perforated at the top for suspension, 

19cm long

Courtesy: Bonhams

[blueiscoool]

A LARGE EGYPTIAN SCHIST OFFERING DISH

PREDYNASTIC, NAQADA II, CIRCA 3500-3200 B.C.

17 1/4 in. (43.8 cm.) long.

It has been suggested that the underside of this dish has been modelled in a way to represent the belly of a hippopotamus.

The hippopotamus was both dreaded and revered by the ancient Egyptians. These enormous gluttonous beasts were hazards in the daily life of Egyptians, as they attacked fishing boats and other river crafts, destroyed the river banks and laid waste to the nearby crop fields. The hippopotamus was thought also to be encountered on the journey into the afterlife, as crossing the river was a metaphor for the passage from one life into the next. Bourriau (Pharaohs and Mortals, Egyptian Art in the Middle Kingdom, p. 119) informs that "cults of a bull hippopotamus were established in a few places, and there is evidence that the animal was in some situations to be identified with the evil god Seth, opponent of Horus and slayer of Osiris."