Mesopotamian calcite amulet of a bird

Jemdet Nasr period, c. 3100-2900 BC

Length: 4.1 cm

From Tell al-Madain, in the form of a stylized bird, with small head, deep breast and upward sweeping tail, an incised line on either side demarcating the tail; body pierced for suspension. Black ink on underside reading, ‘Madain Tello’, or Tell al-Madain, the site of the important Sumerian city of Bad-tibira.

Provenance: Collection of Ernest J. H. Mackay, UK acquired prior to 1933; Collection of Colonel Norman Colville, M.C. (1893-1974) and thence by descent

Ernest John Henry Mackay (1880-1943) was a Bristol born archaeologist who trained under Petrie in Egypt from 1907-1912. Though best known for his work in the Indus Valley, he also excavated at Kish and Jemdet Nasr.

£2,000