Artwork Page for Flint in the Form of a Bird

Details / Information for Flint in the Form of a Bird

Flint in the Form of a Bird

4000–3000 BCE

Egypt, Predynastic (5000–2950 BCE), Naqada II–III

(3650–3000 BCE)
Medium
tan-colored flint
Measurements
Overall: 5.2 x 5.2 cm (2 1/16 x 2 1/16 in.)
Credit Line
John L. Severance Fund 1995.40
Public Domain
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Location
107 Egyptian
Print
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Did You Know?

The exact function of objects like this is unknown; it may have been an amulet or charm.

Description

This flint is ground on one side and ripple-flaked on the other, indicating the date. Nonrepresentational flints were tools and weapons. Representational ones like this, however, were undoubtedly tomb gifts and never used. The type of bird represented is a Guinea fowl or quail. A number of Egyptian flints in this form are known although this one is one of the largest and is of exceptional quality.
A tan flint implement, visibly chipped into an organic form, resembles a bird in profile. At its center, smooth surfaces transition into jagged, flaked edges. On the left, a sharp point sweeps upward like a tail, while the top edge dips before rising to a smaller point on the right, forming a head. A thick protrusion extends from the bottom. Small dark specks are scattered across the stone's matte surface.

Flint in the Form of a Bird

4000–3000 BCE

Egypt, Predynastic (5000–2950 BCE), Naqada II–III (3650–3000 BCE)

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