Lug-Handled Jar

Place of OriginEgypt, possibly from Minshat Abu Omar

DatePredynastic Period, Naqada II-III, about 3500-3000 BCE

DimensionsH: 4 7/8 in. (12.4 cm); Diam: 3 5/8 in. (9.2 cm); Rim Diam: 2 1/4 in. (5.7 cm); Base Diam: 1 1/2 in. (3.8 cm).

MediumBituminous limestone

ClassificationSculpture

Credit LinePurchased with funds from the Libbey Endowment, Gift of Edward Drummond Libbey

Object number

1972.13

On View

Toledo Museum of Art (2445 Monroe Street), Gallery, 02, Classic

DescriptionA black, polished stone vessel with distinct white veining throughout the body. The form is ovoid with a tapered base and a flat bottom. The shoulders are high and rounded, leading to a constricted neck and a slightly flared, flat discoid rim. Two small, cylindrical lug handles are drilled horizontally and situated high on the shoulders on opposing sides. The surface shows natural white striations characteristic of bituminous limestone, originally misidentified as marble veining.

Label TextThis sleek vessel was carved over 5,000 years ago, before the pyramids were built. It is made of bituminous limestone, a stone found near modern-day Cairo that naturally contains black hydrocarbons, giving it a dark, marble-like lustrous finish. The white veins are natural calcite formations. Vessels like this were luxury items, often filled with precious oils or cosmetics and placed in the graves of the elite to ensure abundance in the afterlife. It likely comes from the Nile Delta, a region that served as a gateway for trade between Egypt and the Near East.