This bowl is from the West Mexican Shaft Tomb culture, which thrived during the Pre-Classic period (2000 BCE – 250 CE) in an area centered around the present-day Mexican states of Jalisco and Colima on the Pacific coast. Little is known about this ancient culture, […]
This bronze Egyptian Isis figure represents the goddess of life and fertility, nursing her son Horus, the divine ancestor of the pharaohs. It dates to the Late Dynastic Period, roughly 700 to 300 BCE. Ancient Egyptians used votive offerings like this one to pay tribute […]
This headrest is from the Luba people, a Bantu-speaking group who live in south central Democratic Republic of the Congo. Headrests are popular throughout Central Africa as well as in other parts of the world. They keep the owners’ hairstyles from being ruined while they […]
Kokeshi are carved wooden dolls known for their slender bodies, round heads, and lack of limbs. They first became popular in northern Japan during the Edo Period (1603-1868), when they were sold as souvenirs to visitors of hot springs in the area. Traditional kokeshi dolls […]
Spirit money, also known as ghost money, is a form of joss paper, an offering used in traditional Chinese ancestor worship. The burning of spirit money is the last ritual performed by a family member during a traditional funeral ceremony to ensure a favorable outcome […]
This rare Ethiopian Coptic icon features images of important saints carved into stone. Icons like this one, also known as prayer boxes, are used for devotional purposes, often as offerings on personal altars. Many Coptic Christians believe that the icons are filled with the spiritual […]