Bowl with Turned-In Sections of Rim. Giza; Fourth Dynasty (ca. 2575–2465 B.C.E.) or earlier. Gneiss; Diam. 7 7/8 in. (20 cm). Phoebe Apperson Hearst Museum of Anthropology, University of California at Berkeley (6-19784).

This bowl, with its rim folded inward at intervals in a natural and graceful manner, appears to be made of a flexible material rather than hard stone. The superb workmanship and astonishing thinness of its walls indicate that it was made in a royal workshop. Paintings and reliefs show bowls with turned-in rims on tables and stands as part of a meal service, indicating that this bowl was included in the burial for the eternal funerary meal of the deceased.