**Originally Listed At $400** Central Asia, Bactria (Bactria-Margiana/BMAC), ca. 3rd to 2nd millennium BCE. A shallow dish carved from alabaster with a rounded rim, its surface incised regularly, with four projecting flares, each roughly ninety degrees away from each other, one drilled through beneath the rim. The dish stands on a rounded base. Alabaster, a light-colored, calcareous stone from the Iranian Plateau, has strong connections in ancient western and central Asia 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 dish like this one was made to be placed into a tomb to hold offerings. Size: 5.7" W x 2.05" H (14.5 cm x 5.2 cm) Provenance: private East Coast collection, New York, 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 and handle all shipping in-house for your convenience. #141899品相报告: Deep fissure down rim on one side has been repaired. Otherwise in nice condition with light surface scratching commensurate with wear and deposits.