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The Brooklyn Museum

Collections: Egyptian, Classical, and Ancient Middle Eastern Art




Wheeled Ram-Headed Vessel

Wheeled Ram-Headed Vessel. Probably from Mesopotamia (modern Iraq), exact provenance unknown. Early Dynastic III Period or later, second half of the third millennium B.C. Terracotta (axles restored), 9 x 4 x 9 in. (22.9 x 10.2 x 22.9 cm). Brooklyn Museum, Purchased with funds provided by Ms. Shelby White, 87.77

Animal-shaped pottery vessels mounted on wheels had a long history in the ancient Middle East. This early example has the head of a ram with curving horns. Liquid poured into the hole on the top would flow out of the opening in the animal's snout. A loop on the front allowed the attachment of a cord so that the vessel could be pulled. Such vessels have been found in both houses and temples and were probably used in religious or funerary rituals.

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