**First Time At Auction**

Central Asia / Near East, Afghanistan, Bactrian (Oxus Civilization) / Mesopotamia, 2000 to 1000 BCE. An amazing collection of 6 lapis lazuli stone beads and 1 agate turtle bead. Four of the lapis are simple drop shaped charms, and 2 are carved into simple zoomorphs. A turtle is masterfully carved from a banded agate, with a tiny perforation for suspension drileld into the underside. Lapis was a heavenly stone - a brilliant blue with shimmering pyrite and white calcite striations like clouds, as if the stone fell to earth from the sky. The earliest recorded texts from Egypt and Near Eastern cultures mention lapis, however the stone was mined in the distant northeastern region of Afghanistan - transported westward or south overseas where it eventually arrived in Egypt and Mesopotamia via the extensive trade networks or as diplomatic gifts between cultures. Size: 0.65" L x 0.3" W (1.7 cm x 0.8 cm)

Provenance: private Matrisciano collection, Thousand Oaks, California, USA, before 2002

All items legal to buy/sell under U.S. Statute covering cultural patrimony Code 2600, CHAPTER 14, and are guaranteed to be as described or your money back.

A Certificate of Authenticity will accompany all winning bids.

We ship worldwide to most countries and handle all shipping in-house for your convenience.

#176559

Minor nicks and surface wear, otherwise all are intact.