Make -up palette, slice -shaped, with the silhouette of a turtle, broken in the body and put together again, with a borehole. Almost exclusively slate was used as material for the flat panels. Time classification: Predynastic, Negade II (also designated with Nagada and divided into the period I - III), 3,500 - 3,200 before the name comes from the Upper Egyptian city of Nagada (north of Luxor), at that time the formative center of political and cultural development. In this phase, the spread was spread to the north, the assimilation of the Lower Egyptian culture began, which ultimately led to the establishment of the Egyptian state. So before the construction of the large pyramids (from approx. 3,000 before) and well in front of such known pharaohs such as Akhenaton / Nefertiti or Tutankhamon, which from 1353 - 1322 BC. Chr. The burial rites of the upper class included large burial chambers or burial grounds with considerable encores that should serve to supply for eternity, e.g. in beautiful ceramic vessels, but also personal objects such as make -up pallets (both by women and men). These were used to rub and stir the eye make -up (obtained from minerals). Grave goods were signs of hope for resurrection, for which one had to be equipped with the things of daily life, but also with all kinds of luxury goods. It was also a drive for artisans who created their works in consciousness to work for eternity. The Egyptian Museum Munich - The main information also comes from there - has several make -up pallets characteristic of this era, which are designed as fish and turtle (trionyx triunguis, trivial name: African soft turtle). Typical is the form reduced to outline lines. The object was examined professionally, provenance: from the W.K. Collection (acquired there in the 1960s). At around 5,400 years, it is the oldest art and use of the collection if you disregard the fossils. Length 16.5 cm, width 8.7 cm, height 0.6 cm. Additional reference: around 3000 BC. BC, our Cancer constellation was known under the name Ab-Schetui and symbolized a turtle. In the associated hieroglyphs, one, later even two turtles, can be seen. The turtle was one of the companions of the Seth and was one of the "enemies of the re" (ancient Egyptian sun god). Further traditions lead too far here. The Babylonians also saw a turtle in this constellation. Finally, a quote from Ernest Renan (French historian and Philosph): "The old Egypt - a beacon in the decommissioned seas of the prehistoric period". [hint: this is an automatic translation from German]   |   Category: Kultgegenstände   |   Material: Stein   |   Country of origin: Luxor, Egypt | Similar pieces