Cypriot Base Ring II Ware Bilbil: Late Bronze Age II (1450-1200 BC)

This Base Ring Bilbil was exported in antiquity and excavated excavated in the 60s near Nablus, Samaria (now Israel). This larger and smaller versions of the Poppy vase, or Bilbil, were often exported, especially to the Levant and Egypt and as such the larger ones probably originally contain scented oils. The small ones may have contained opium. Base Ring II replaced the thin walled early Base Ring I with applied linear decoration, with a cruder, painted ware. Base Ring Ware's former’s position as a high status ware was taken over by imported Mycenaean wares and Red Lustrous ware. Since my other jug of this type was so covered in encrustations, possibly hiding restoration to the top, I decided to buy another specifically for the Kykkos Museum.

Size: 29cm high

(The piece belongs to a group of pieces found in 1960s, in Tobass, Samaria (in the suburbs of Nablus), an area rich with middle bronze and late bronze age pottery. Subsequently, along with the rest of the items, including 2 similar bulbils, in the private collection of Mr Mahmud Baidun, (founder of Mahmud M Baidun galleries) collected over a period of 45 years till 1978. In 1978 the collection, mainly biblical and holy land antiquities, with a large amount of pottery ware of all kinds of periods was inherited by his son Khader M Baidun. The private collection is registered with the Israel antiquities authority. The family businesses are now run by him and his sons .)

(Aquired Alan Baidun, Jerusalem)

DJ 188. Annex 170