Carved Stone Cup

2700 BC - 2600 BC
Chlorite
Khafajah
6.4 cm x 8.0 cm diam.
A12415

Oriental Institute Museum

Carved Stone Cup

This small, cylindrical cup is made of a type of stone known as chlorite. It is decorated with carvings intended to look like woven reeds. Vessels of this type were made in southern Iran and traded throughout Mesopotamia. It is possible that they were valued as much for their contents, such as oils or resins, as for the vessels themselves.

Collected by

Henri Frankfort, Field Director of the Iraq Expedition
Excavated by The Oriental Institute 1933-1934



Suggested Readings

Hunter, Erica. First Civilizations: Cultural Atlas for Young People. New York: Facts on File, 1994.

Kramer, Samuel Noah. Cradle of Civilization. Alexandria, VA: Time-Life Books, 1967.

Roaf, Michael. Cultural Atlas of Mesopotamia and the Ancient Near East. New York: Facts on File, 1990.