Ax
Description
Neolithic Period, Buto–Merimda–Maadi, ca. 4500–4000 B.C. Flint. L. 10.8 × W. 5.5 × th. 2 cm, Wt. 106.8g (4 1/4 × 2 3/16 × 13/16 in., 3.767oz.). From: Merimda Beni Salama, Western Delta, Egypt. Excavation: Vienna Academy of Science excavations 1929–30. Credit: Gift of Albert Rothbart, 1933.
AI image analysis GPT-5.4-nano
Machine-generated from the object's image on Jul 2026. Not curatorial; treat deities, names, and signs below as the model's best reading, not authority.
Photograph of a single worked stone implement shaped like a tapered blade/axe head, shown isolated against a neutral background.
The artifact appears as a roughly teardrop/tapered form with a thicker rounded proximal end and a narrower pointed distal end. The surface is uneven and shows signs of knapping/retouch consistent with a prehistoric lithic tool. Color is predominantly light brown to tan with darker patina and mineral inclusions; the edges show minor chips and irregularities rather than a finely finished cutting edge. No carvings, painted decoration, or hieroglyphic markings are visible on the stone itself. A small area of red/orange residue or label-like mark is visible near the lower left portion of the artifact, likely modern and not integral to the object. The image does not show any associated inscriptions in Greek/Coptic/Arabic or any cartouches, and no identifiable deity or royal name is present.
Connections
About this record's data
- From the source institution — accession, description, dimensions, and dating are as catalogued by Metropolitan Museum of Art — Egyptian Art (Open Access).
- AI-inferred — the image-analysis panel (deities, names, signs) is machine-generated and may be wrong.
- Approximate location — most map points are plotted at the site centroid, not the exact findspot.
- Inferred links — cross-references marked with a match method other than explicit-source-field were matched by us, not stated by the source.