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Whetstone in a Shape of a Ram
Oxus, 2nd millennium B.C., Chlorite
H: 8 cm L: 9 cm
This whetstone in the shape of a ram has a groove running along the bottom of the base for sharpening blades. The practical function is given a beautiful form revealing a high aesthetic sense. The shape of the animal is graceful. The expression of the head with powerful curves of horns gives a sense of dignity, while the cute buttocks and tail show the affection to the animal.
Rod-shaped whetstones with handles in a shape of animals are known from the Luristan region of Iran of the Bronze Age. However, whetstones made in this way 1000 years earlier are extremely rare. This work represents so-called "animal style" which subject was animals from the artists’ surroundings. |
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| The culture of ancient Bactria flourished is the western part of Central Asia, the Amu Darya River (Oxus River) basin, a vast area that stretches from present-day Pakistan, Afghanistan, Uzbekistan to Kazakhstan, and it is also called the Oxus civilization. From the beginning of the 3rd millennium BC to the beginning of the 2nd millennium BC, Bronze Age Bactria belonged to a cultural sphere that spanned southeastern Iran and western Central Asia and the Indus River Valley, creating a common art style while retaining its own local characteristics. Due to abundance of resources such as stone (alabaster, lapis lazuli, red chalcedony, frozen stone) and metals (gold, copper, tin) Bactria was a supplier of them to Mesopotamia and thus was influenced by Mesopotamian culture. |
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