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ابن المفـرق
Elephant mould
- Title/name : Elephant mould
- Production place : Al-Fudayn (al-Mafraq), Jordan
- Date / period : Umayyad
- Materials and techniques : Bronze, engraved inside
- Dimensions : H. 18 cm ; W. 21 cm ; Depth : 8,9 cm
- Conservation town : Amman
- Conservation place : Jordan Archaeological Museum
- Inventory number : J 16514
The mould consists of two symmetrical
parts; there are three hinges, two at the bottom by the feet, and one at
the top of the back. The hinges consist of rings connected through
fasteners, still existing at the legs. The fastener (lock?) at the back
top is not preserved.Various parts of the elephant body, such as ears,
eyes, feet and trunk, are engraved more vividly. It is clear that such
details were intended to appear in the final product.
The elephant mould was explained as a model for baking bread or cookies or for making children toys. The former interpretation is difficult to accept. Today, moulds for bakery are made of wood, and not metal, probably because of negative effects of the latter on the dough. Furthermore, there is in the ram an additional opening, which needs explanation. This opening does not seem suitable for squeezing dough inside the mould.
It is more plausible to see in the mould a model for making children toys, though the result, whatever material is used, would be relatively heavy and bulky and somehow inappropriate for children to play with. One expects toys to be smaller such as the clay figurines found in a child’s tomb from the Hellenistic period.
The elephant was a common theme in Levantine art. In Nabataean Petra it decorated capitals of the Great Temple. A hunter on an elephant was depicted on a mosaic from St. George Church in Madaba. Earlier examples are attested such as a small stone elephant from the Sasanian period. In the famous cave of Taq-i Kisraw, at Kermanshâh in Iran, an elephant hunting is carved on one of the walls (6th c.)
The elephant reflects the international trade relations between the ancient empires, which extended as far as India and China, and with Africa. The technique was used in manufacturing a small ram with the same function.
The elephant mould was explained as a model for baking bread or cookies or for making children toys. The former interpretation is difficult to accept. Today, moulds for bakery are made of wood, and not metal, probably because of negative effects of the latter on the dough. Furthermore, there is in the ram an additional opening, which needs explanation. This opening does not seem suitable for squeezing dough inside the mould.
It is more plausible to see in the mould a model for making children toys, though the result, whatever material is used, would be relatively heavy and bulky and somehow inappropriate for children to play with. One expects toys to be smaller such as the clay figurines found in a child’s tomb from the Hellenistic period.
The elephant was a common theme in Levantine art. In Nabataean Petra it decorated capitals of the Great Temple. A hunter on an elephant was depicted on a mosaic from St. George Church in Madaba. Earlier examples are attested such as a small stone elephant from the Sasanian period. In the famous cave of Taq-i Kisraw, at Kermanshâh in Iran, an elephant hunting is carved on one of the walls (6th c.)
The elephant reflects the international trade relations between the ancient empires, which extended as far as India and China, and with Africa. The technique was used in manufacturing a small ram with the same function.
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