Title: Stone Bowl
Creator: Unknown
Date: -2600/-2400 (BCE)
Period: Bronze Age
Location: Khafajeh
Culture: Mesopotamian
Material: Chlorite
Dimensions: Height: 10.90-11.20cm; Diameter: 17.80cm (rim, exterior); Diameter: 17.00cm (rim, interior); Volume: 2100.00ml Repository: The British Museum
References: https://artsandculture.google.com/asset/stone-bowl/-AFn9_QiFZ-JHA
https://www.britishmuseum.org/collection/object/W_1936-1217-2
Description: This bowl has striking similarities to the Pasupati seal that we read about. The central figure is a so-called king of the beasts and we see this imagery repeated in several pieces we have viewed.
The focus of the bowl is on this man and he is surrounded by animals such as the zebu, which is not native to Mesopotamia, but the Indus region. This further suggests the connection between this bowl and the Pasupati seal. Just as the man in the seal is seated on a pedestal, the man on the stone bowl appears to be seated on the backs of the zebu.
The man is very embedded with nature, but shows command of it by the way he holds the snakes in either hand.
The stonework is impressive, and I am always impressed when the condition of such an old artifact is as good as this one is.
