Archaeology & Antiquities
Palette in the Form of a Turtle
Permanent Exhibition
Details
- Author / creator
- Egypt, Predynastic (5000–2950 BCE), Naqada IIa–IIIa (3650–3000 BCE)
- Object type
- Archaeology
- Date or period
- c. 3500–3050 BCE
- Dimensions summary
- Overall: 7.8 cm
- Site or findspot
- Giza, Egypt
- Cultural period
- Prehistoric
- Place of origin
- Egypt
- Acquisition method
- Purchase
- Credit line
- Purchased with the Public appeal (1998), 1989
- Image rights
- Public domain (CC0)
About this object
Stone palettes were used for grinding eyepaint worn by men and women alike for cosmetic purposes and to protect against sun glare and eye infections. There were two types of eyepaint: green, made from malachite (copper ore), and black, made from galena (lead ore). Small quantities of ore are sometimes found in graves alongside the palettes.
Materials and technique
Graywacke
