c. 3800-3500 B.C.

Extremely rare jar with round body, lug handles and flat base. Painted decoration and rope ornamentation present. Made by the Ghassulian culture of the Chalcolithic Southern Levant. Found in Jericho. In good condition with minor restoration on rim of vessel.

3.8 x 3.9 inches (9.8 x 9.9 cms)

Custom lucite stand, worldwide shipping and Certificate of Authenticity included in price.

Export Approval from Israel Antiquities Authority.

Bibliography:
Ruth Amiran, “Ancient Pottery of the Holy Land”,(Rutgers University Press, 1970), p.22- p.27.

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Ghassulian refers to an archaeological stage dating to the Middle Chalcolithic Period in (c. 3800–c. 3350 BC) in the Southern Levant as well as the culture that inhabited the area at that time. Of the cultures in the Southern Levant during the Chalcolithic Period (c. 5000-3000 B.C.), the Ghassulian (in the Jordan Valley) and Beersheba (in the Negev) cultures have provided the best assemblages for this period of pottery advancement. Rope ornamentation on this handmade pottery clearly suggests the practical strengthening of the clay vessels with various rope netting or binding. A wide variety of shapes and sizes suggests the proliferation of household and commercial uses for storage and transport of both dry and liquid products and merchandise.
The Chalcolithic (Greek khalkos + lithos 'copper stone') period or Copper Age period [also known as the Eneolithic (Æneolithic)], is a phase in the development of human culture in which the use of early metal tools appeared alongside the use of stone tools. This is also the period from which one sees the first evidence for a simple potter's wheel - initially turned by hand, not by foot. However, most pots were still made by hand.

Antiquities
Ancient Near East