Bowl

This very small, straight-sided bowl was carved from a whitish, friable stone (possibly onyx). Small bowls such as this were often used as cosmetic containers. It was found at Umm Al Ma‘a, northwest Qatar, in a burial mound consisting of a circular tomb. The tomb has a large diameter of 6–7.5 meters and a height of 4-7 meters, and dates from the period between 100 BCE and 100 CE.

Within the tomb, this funerary offering was found along with a series of camel bones and teeth, a deposit of shells and a large series of semi-precious stones. Most of these objects were imported and show the strong trade network between the Gulf region and Mesopotamia (area between the Euphrates and Tigris rivers in Iraq).