Un vaso litico dall'area sacra del kothon di Mozia

A fragment of a green stone vase from the Kothon area in Motya poses again the problem of the circulation of stone vessels in the ancient Mediterranean world. The material (magnesite) must be Egyptian, and we can suppose an Egyptian origin because of its shape, which was well-known in the Predynastic - Old Kingdom Period (IV Dynasty). The vase probably antedates the archaeological context in Motya. It reminds one of the case of a III Dynasty fragment in the Barracco Museum in Rome, that was inscribed during the XXV dynasty, or of the stone vessels from Almuñecar. These luxury goods may have been lying in the ground for centuries before being employed again, and we know that Phoenicians contributed to their re-use and dissemination.