The object cataloged as JE 71298 is a 2nd Dynasty stone tray from North Saqqara carved in greywacke to imitate the appearance of woven basketry. Its crosshatched exterior translates a flexible organic container into a durable stone form, making it an especially useful example of early Egyptian craftsmanship and visual imitation.
Key Facts
- Object: Basket-shaped stone tray.
- Inventory: JE 71298.
- Period: 2nd Dynasty, Early Dynastic Period.
- Provenance: North Saqqara.
- Material: Greywacke.
- Decoration: Crosshatched exterior imitating woven basketry.
Stone Made to Look Like Basketry
The most distinctive feature of JE 71298 is its surface treatment. The exterior is carved with a repeated crosshatched pattern that evokes woven fibers. Egyptian artisans frequently translated forms from one material into another, and this tray preserves that idea in a particularly direct way: a stone object deliberately retains the visual language of a basket or woven container.
Early Dynastic Craftsmanship
The tray belongs to a period when Egyptian stoneworking traditions were developing rapidly. The ability to reproduce the texture and visual rhythm of woven material in hard stone demonstrates both technical control and a sophisticated interest in material transformation.
Why the Provenance Matters
Its North Saqqara provenance places the tray within one of the most important archaeological landscapes for Early Dynastic Egypt. Saqqara preserves elite tombs, royal monuments, and large quantities of material culture that document the formation of Egyptian state society during the first dynasties.
Identification Standard
The inventory number, 2nd Dynasty date, North Saqqara provenance, greywacke material, tray form, and basketry-like surface treatment are treated as the secure catalog data. No specific ritual or domestic function is assigned beyond what the form itself supports.
See also the Egypt Museum Artifact Index and Saqqara and Biblical Egypt.