bactrian idol

A Bactrian marble idol circa late 2nd to 1st millenium BCE. The Bactrian culture was discovered by Soviet archeologists in the 1970's in Afghanistan. Also called the Oxus culture it was dated between 2300-1700 BCE. This civilisation prospered in the valleys of central Asia during the Bronze age and is regarded as being one of the most evolved societies of their time. A lot is still to discover about these people and their artefacts. Scollars are still debating the function of marble idols found in the Bactria-Margiana complex. Alltough some think they are weights to measure grain (the most important commodity in that time and a measure of wealth) most believe they are abstract representations of spiritual concepts like earth, heaven, female, male, etc. This item has some scratching, weathering (pitting) and worn in chips on the surface. No restauration present and also no cracks. The drilling sings in the hole on top are from manual archaic drilling techniques. This piece was bought on the US art market in 2019 and previously belonged to a private southern California collector whoi acquired it before 2000. A certificate is included.