Collections: Egyptian, Classical, and Ancient Middle Eastern Art: Model Cart

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Model Cart

Animal-shaped pottery vessels mounted on oversized 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 top flowed 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 excavated in both temples and houses. They were probably used in religious or funerary rituals.


• Medium: Terracotta
• Possible Place Made: Mesopotamia (modern day Iraq, Turkey, & Syria)
• Dates: second half of the third millenium B.C.E.
• Period: Early Dynastic III Period, or later
• Dimensions: 9 x 4 x 9 in. (22.9 x 10.2 x 22.9 cm)
• Collections: Egyptian, Classical, and Ancient Middle Eastern Art
• Museum Location: This item is on view in Egypt Reborn: Art for Eternity, Ancient Middle Eastern Art, The Hagop Kevorkian Gallery, 3rd Floor
• Accession Number: 87.77
• Image: 3/4 front left, 87.77_threequarter_left_PS2.jpg. Brooklyn Museum photograph, 2009
Model Cart, second half of the third millenium B.C.E. Terracotta, 9 x 4 x 9 in. (22.9 x 10.2 x 22.9 cm). Brooklyn Museum, 87.77 (Photo: Brooklyn Museum, 87.77_threequarter_left_PS2.jpg)
• Catalogue Description: Wheel-made terracotta vessel in form of ram-headed cart with four wheels; ram with curved horns and protruding spout for mouth; perforated tang on animal's chest, for the insertion of cord that allowed the piece to be pulled; short tail appears on the hind area of the vessel; circular opening on the top of the vessel; axels modern. Condition: Hairline, vertical crack on the back of the rear right leg. Overall good.