Iron Age pottery jug - 120 mm

"Iron Age Pottery Juglet

Culture / Period: Iron Age, Ancient Israel / Levant
Date / Period: 700 – 586 B.C.
Material: Pottery
Dimensions: 70 mm
Condition: Good condition, with surface encrustation, weathering, and minor wear consistent with age. Handle intact and vessel structurally stable.

No shipping outside the European Union. Due to complex export regulations concerning cultural goods, this item cannot be shipped outside the EU. Please ensure you have a delivery address within the European Union before placing a bid.

Provenance information:
Object Registration ID: 109

The current owner purchased the object from a private collector, N.N., in Oosterbeek, the Netherlands.

The previous owner, a private collector, N.N. from Oosterbeek, stated that the object had been in his collection since 2025.

According to the previous owner, the object had previously been part of a private collection in the Netherlands since the 1980s.

According to the previous owner, the vessel originates from Israel.

No further information concerning the earlier ownership history of the object was available from the previous owner.

Background Information:
This small Iron Age pottery juglet dates to the period between 700 and 586 B.C. and originates from the region of ancient Israel in the southern Levant. The vessel has a globular body, a narrow cylindrical neck, and a single loop handle extending from the shoulder to the upper neck. Its compact form indicates that it was likely intended for storing and pouring valuable liquids in small quantities, such as perfumed oils, medicinal substances, ointments, or precious aromatic preparations.

Juglets of this type were widely used throughout the Iron Age Levant and are frequently recovered from domestic settlements, storage rooms, and burial contexts in present-day Israel and neighbouring regions. Their practical design allowed liquids to be poured carefully and efficiently, while the narrow neck helped limit evaporation and contamination of the contents. Such vessels formed part of the daily household equipment of both urban and rural communities.

The period between the 8th and early 6th centuries B.C. corresponds to the final phase of the kingdoms of Israel and Judah, a time characterised by regional trade, agricultural production, and strong cultural interaction with surrounding Near Eastern societies. Ceramic production during this era was highly organised, with local workshops manufacturing standardised vessel forms for widespread use. Potters employed wheel-made techniques and carefully prepared clay to create durable functional wares adapted to everyday domestic needs.

Comparable juglets have been excavated from numerous archaeological sites throughout Israel, reflecting the continuity of Levantine ceramic traditions and the importance of small transport and storage vessels within Iron Age society. Such objects illustrate the practical realities of ancient life, where ceramics were indispensable for the storage, preparation, transport, and serving of foodstuffs and liquids.

This piece provides a direct and tangible connection to the ancient world, in which vessels of this kind formed part of everyday life in Iron Age Israel more than 2,500 years ago."