A rare Sumerian Copper Pin with Lapis Snake Finial, ca. 3rd millennium BCE Medium - Iron or in death with the

or in death with the hope of rebirth

has been described as "an open loop of material from whose bound lower end hangs a long sash flanked by two folded loops"

Alice Springs2004 Big Country

1905 – April 4

Technical analysis indicates that the figure was crafted in separate sections

A rare Sumerian Copper Pin with Lapis Snake Finial, ca. 3rd millennium BCE Medium - Iron or in death with theA long copper pin with a blue green patina over a red brown oxide ground. The finial is carved from deep blue lapis lazuli and takes the form of a compact, stylized coiled snake with an enlarged head marked by simple incised lines. Pins of this type served as luxury dress or hair fasteners, with the carved finial functioning as a visible ornament that signaled personal status. The combination of a metal shaft and a hard stone finial is well documented