Lacking new ancient coins these days, I picked up these 3 stones from my old box willing to share them on this blessed Thursday. The first is an ancient lamp engraved with a lot of grape leaves and bunches. The 2 others are small stony animals with original shapes. I think the lamp is probably Greek. Hope you enjoy looking a bit.
very kool artifacts ! thanks for sharing!..i'd like to get a rounded lamp.. i have one from Antioch made about the 5th C. AD...i've collected many such things along the historical way including, but not limited to, coins.
I dunno Charles, a quick read of your Thread Caption with my dyslexic mind produced this: However, I DO have a some old "stones" that I can toss out there: Egypt Amenhotep III stone scarab IN-HAND rev Turned this back into it's original intention, on a necklace. Had a jeweler run a white gold rod through the original drilled hole, with a loop, and had it strung on a white gold necklace. Gave it to my Wife for her birthday, and she is "terrified" to wear it! Worried that she will break this 3,000 year-old trinket. I told her that this is how they were worn by Egyptians for centuries. Egypt Amethyst Uninscribed Scarab 1667-1085 BCE 17x14mm Intact with Side view Egyptian basalt heart scarab, Late Period, c. 664 - 332 BC 1.9 cm. Ex Boston Museum of Fine Arts Egyptian red-black stone amulet of trussed ox Late Period 664-332 BC 25x16mm Ex Norma Goldman 1922-2011 r The Engineering genius that made Rome GREAT: Rome ISCA Legio II Augusta 75-300 CE Caerleon Concrete 2 pcs 26x21mm ea Ouch! Roman Sling Stone 200 BCE - 400 CE Almond Shaped PB lead 34x14mm 42.4g OH! AND TO KEEP THIS "LEGAL", HERE IS A COIN !!! Italia Aes Rude - bronze ca 5th-4th Century BCE 29.7mm 32.4g Approx 1 Uncia...
I'm sorry to say that all three of these items are reproductions (or, in the case of the stone items perhaps just fantasy pieces). All three items have artificially applied soil, they style is wrong and in the case of the lamp, a well known type. If you want a second opinion, you should contact David Knell, a Brit who is one of the leading experts in lamps. He maintains a site which you may find of interest: http://www.romulus2.com/lamps/fakes/fakes1.shtml
..that's the thing with terra cotta pieces, you really have a hard time telling if it was made 15 or 1500 years ago. i now stay clear of buying such items because of that.
Its really no different from learning ancient coins. Time, patience, education, these all lend to knowing what to buy and what to avoid.
yup, like coins.. but i've ran out of room to display such items too, without buying another house to put them in...
I know what you mean. My house was built in 1956, about 1,500 square feet and bought at the height of the housing market (in California no less, I imagine in another state could very likely be 5,000 square feet easily). But I do the best I can. That means this mess:
I suspect the OP's items were bought from the same Vcoins dealer that I mentioned was on my "no fly" list in another thread...
No. It cost me only 13 dollars, if I remember well. The seller was an ordinary person introduced to me by my neighbor. The latter told me that just hand artifact work is enough. It can't be a loss anyway. Here's another item from him that looks like an ash tray. I was puzzled by the very heavy weight of this stone. For a while, I said it can't be a stone. But in fact it is. Hope anyone could guess what stone is this. Here's a scan of both sides
well, you didn't get hurt on it then. you'd be hard pressed to buy a repro for less... i think i paid over $50 for my terra cotta lamp and that was many years ago..
Sorry about the lamp being a reproduction @7Calbrey ! Look at the bright side—now you can try using it as a lamp and see how it actually works.
I have a stone that just could be a bit older than yours, though not near as pretty as yours. I also tried to drill a hole through it but burnt two mason drills up like paper, here it is. Petrified wood...
