NARRATOR: This lion’s large head doesn’t have a mane—and with its short muzzle, we surmise that it depicts a lion cub. The small statue was found at the location of a temple of the goddess Hathor. We don’t know why a lion cub would be dedicated at a Hathor temple. But it’s possible that the statuette represents the ruling king as Hathor’s young son. Notice the way it sparkles. Assistant Curator Diana Craig Patch explains that this was clearly an important object, made from a rare substance. Diana Craig Patch:

DIANA CRAIG PATCH: What makes this piece particularly interesting is the material in which it’s carved. It’s made in quartz crystal and that makes it a very difficult piece to carve because if you hit it in the wrong direction it will fracture. And if you look at some other of the stone vases that are in this gallery and the next gallery you’ll see that you don’t find that shine or that sparkle anywhere else and that’s because none of the other pieces are in rock crystal.

NARRATOR: This lion cub dates from the end of the Predynastic period—that is, during the dynasties of the earliest Pharaohs. It was during this period that three-dimensional sculpture carved in stone— rather than molded in clay— first emerged.