Lot 289
**Originally Listed At $75**
Pre-Columbian, West Mexico, Colima, ca. 300 BCE to 300 CE. A group of eleven obsidian lithics: two points, one partially knapped point, and eight core flakes. Also a chert point and a piece of nearly clear quartz that is also a partially knapped point. Size of largest obsidian point: 1.05" W x 2" H (2.7 cm x 5.1 cm)
Obsidian - "iztli" to them - fascinated the ancient Mesoamericans; the Aztecs even had a god, Tezcatlipoca, who was the Lord of the Smoking Obsidian Mirror. The shockingly sharp edges and points of these pieces demonstrate their great allure. In a world without metal, this sharp quality was especially important for ceremonies of ritual bloodletting and human sacrifice. The difficult-to-obtain material came from volcanic sources in the Sierra Madre of Mexico and in Guatemala, traded hundreds of miles to meet the demand for sharp cutting tools and ritual objects, and then were struck using a deer antler or small hammer stone to form blades and other shapes. The Colima buried their dead in shaft tombs deep below their residences, alongside the remains of their ancestors. These tombs were richly furnished with ceramic figures, vessels, offerings, and precious stone items of jade and obsidian.
Provenance: private D. C. collection, California, USA; D. C. is an Emmy Award winning Hollywood writer and Executive Producer, collected before 2000
All items legal to buy/sell under U.S. Statute covering cultural patrimony Code 2600, CHAPTER 14, and are guaranteed to be as described or your money back.
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#126486
- Condition: The two obsidian points are intact. All other obsidian is fragmentary. Chert point has ancient loss to stem. Quartz lithic is intact but unfinished.
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| From: | To: | Increments: |
|---|---|---|
| $0 | $299 | $25 |
| $300 | $999 | $50 |
| $1,000 | $1,999 | $100 |
| $2,000 | $4,999 | $250 |
| $5,000 + | $500 |