Decorated ostrich eggshell

This ostrich eggshell was part of a funeral trousseau in the Phoenician cemetery of Casetes. It appeared inside a rectangular chamber tomb, lined with fire-resistant clay. 

Ostriches were very frequent in the steppes and on the desert margins of the river valleys of Syria- Mesopotamia, Egypt and North Africa. Therefore, this piece is a clear example of the Phoenician presence in the ancient city of Vilajoiosa during the 6th and 5th centuries BC. As well as, it shows the existence of a local elite capable of benefiting from this Phoenician trade between North Africa and the east of the Peninsula.

In ancient times the ostrich egg, in addition to serving as food, had a funerary and symbolic value, it represented life after death, eternity and the rebirth of the soul. 

The decorative motifs of this eggshell are difficult to distinguish, but thanks to ultraviolet light you can see red and white pigments on the natural color of the egg. Ostrich eggs are very hard and tough, and also they have a shiny, waterproof outer shell. That is why before applying the decoration, the surface was scraped to facilitate the adherence of the pigments.

In this example, the decoration is delimited by two bands in dark red and the central part is divided into rectangular spaces, with floral elements (Cypriot palmeta) and vegetation inside. This type of motifs are very common in these containers, such as those located in the Villaricos necropolis (Almeria) or in Puig dels Molins (Ibiza).

Regarding to the shape, the edge is smooth, beveled and serrated. The egg was cut by the sharpest pole to consume it and after that it was turned into a kind of glass that was easy to carry hanged with a thread, like a flask.

Do you want to see this piece in 3D in our Sketchfab collection? Click here. 

Tomb GU 445 of the Necropolis of Les Casetes, sector Jovada.
Height: 140 mm; diam. mouth: 94 mm; diam. 135 mm
Chronology: first half of the 6th century BC
Nº inv. Vilamuseu 022293