Description:

Pre-Columbian, Belize, Preclassic Maya Period, ca. 250 BCE to 250 CE. A pair of near-identical deep grey chert tools, each knapped into form to have sharp edges and terminate in a point. The colors of these chert tools are really beautiful - grading from almost white to a deep navy blue/grey and with some orange/red bands. Items like these are famous from the Maya site of Cuello in northern Belize and found at several archaeological sites throughout southern Mesoamerica and the Caribbean, including at Tikal. Although they are sometimes called "daggers", they are only found in ritual deposits, and their form suggests a ceremonial purpose rather than an actual tool. Size of largest: 2.75" W x 9.45" H (7 cm x 24 cm); 9.9" H (25.1 cm) on included custom stand.

Provenance: private southwestern Pennsylvania, USA collection, acquired prior to 2000

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#146375

  • Condition: Both are intact. Small chips from edges commensurate with age; light deposits on surface of each.

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May 21, 2020 8:00 AM MDT
Louisville, CO, US

Artemis Fine Arts

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