**Originally Listed At $500**

Holy Land, ca. 1st millennium BCE. A circular hard stone mortar, carved from grey basalt displaying a porous, volcanic surface, with an incised border and four decorative elements positioned equidistantly around the perimeter, all supported by three legs. It may have been used for utilitarian purposes (to grind medicine or cosmetics) or as a religious item. A very important piece of technology to these early peoples. Compare with a nearly identical example (without the pestle) in the Jewish Museum, New York. Size: 10" in diameter x 4.5" H (25.4 cm x 11.4 cm)

Provenance: private New York, New York, USA collection

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#129673

Expected surface wear and small loss to one leg, but the vessel stands well on its own. Dark leaf-shaped mark on tondo.