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Egyptian Pomegranate, 18th dynasty
Inv. no. N055
2011-09-05
Egyptian pomegranate
According to H. Keijsers notes, this pomegranate is made of Egyptian glass and dates from the 18th Dynasty / Amarna period from 1378 tot 1362 BCE. Further research will have to be carried out to detect if the material is indeed Egyptian glass.

The pomegranate was introduced to Egypt from West-Asia or Cyprus and the Near East during the reigns of Amenthotep I and Thoetmosis III and the juice became popular as an ingredient for wine and medicins. As a shape, the pomegranate was used for small vases and jars, made of Egyptian glass. In ancient statues of Amarna princesses from the same period they often hold a pomegranate in their hand, as a reference to fertility.

The oldest Egyptian glass dates from the reign of pharaoh Thutmosis III (1505-1450 BCE), 18th dynasty. The technique was complex: before glass-blowing was introduced in 50 BCE, another technique was used in which threads of melted glass were wound around a clay core. This complex technique made glass in Egypt into an exclusive product. 

Sources:

‘Egyptisch Zandkernglas’. Museumkennis. Rijksmuseum voor Oudheden. 6-9-2013 . ‘Glazen cosmeticaflesjes’. Museumkennis. Rijksmuseum voor Oudheden. 6-9-2013 .

Immerwahr. S. ‘The Pomegranate Vase. It’s origins and continuity’. Hesperia. Journal of the American School of Classical Studies at Athens, vol. 58, nr. 4, 1989.
Further information:
See object details Inv. nr. N055

Further information:

See object details Inv. No. N055

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