Box inlay with a geometric pattern
Unknown Artist
ca. 3100–2900 B.C.
Medium
Ivory
Dimensions
L: 7 cm (2 3/4 in.)
Classification
Inlay, from a box
Period
Early Dynastic Period
Department
Egyptian Art
Museum
Metropolitan Museum of Art, New York, NY
Credit
Gift of Egypt Exploration Fund, 1901
Accession Number
01.4.95
Art Historical Context
Step into the dawn of Egyptian civilization with this delicate *Box inlay with a geometric pattern*, crafted around 3100–2900 B.C. during Dynasty 1 of the Earlyastic Period. This tiny ivory piece, just 7 cm long, hails from a time when Egypt's first pharaohs were unifying the Nile Valley, laying the foundations for the grand pyramids and temples to come. Discovered and gifted to the Metropolitan Museum of Art in 1901, it offers a glimpse into the elite craftsmanship of this formative era. Carved from precious ivory—likely elephant tusk, a luxury material symbolizing wealth and status—the inla...