Vessel

This piece dates from the Neolithic period (5th millennium BCE). It comes from the Chaves Cave (Cueva de Chaves) in Bastarás, Huesca. This was a site of great archeological interest due to the artifacts that were found there in a series of excavations that took place between the 1980s and its destruction in 2007. The vessel is oval in shape and almost entirely lacking decoration. The only embellishment is limited to the top of the vessel—a braid molded with the fingers, like a collar around the top, near the rim. There are two vertical, ring-shaped handles between the rim and the braid. Their small size suggests they were used to hang the container from above. They are on opposite sides of the vessel and equidistant from two other, much larger handles below the ornamental braid. These are also positioned symmetrically on opposite sides, and their larger size indicates they were designed to be grasped with the fingers. The surface has been thoroughly worked with a spatula to smooth it and give it a burnished shine. Despite its obvious technical quality, it is handmade. It is evidence of some of the first pottery to be produced in Aragon, and in the whole of the western Mediterranean.