Fish-shaped cosmetic box
- Audio guide stop: 383
- Gallery: Room 57
- Culture: Late Bronze Age III
- Date: 1250BC-1150BC
- Object type: cosmetic-box
- Materials: ivory
- Museum number: 1987,0727.138
- Museum: The British Museum
- Collection record: British Museum website
- Image © The Trustees of the British Museum, shared under a CC BY-NC-SA 4.0 licence.
Listen to the free audio guide
About this object
This is a fish-shaped cosmetic box, carved from ivory, dating back to the Late Bronze Age III. It was made between 1250 and 1150 BC, and is believed to have been used in everyday life for cosmetics or ointments.
What makes this piece remarkable is how lifelike the fish appears. Its curved shape and detailed fins were likely admired in its time. The box would have held a small amount of substance, possibly for medicinal or decorative purposes.
This artifact was discovered in what is now Tell es-Sa'idiyeh, where it was placed strapped over the genitals of an adult male. The box was wrapped in linen, remnants of which still cover it.
Such objects give us a glimpse into the daily lives and personal customs of people during this era, preserving small but telling details of their material culture.
See it in person
Fish-shaped cosmetic box is on display in Room 57 at the British Museum on Great Russell Street, Bloomsbury, London — free to enter. Choose British Museum on audioguide.london and type its audio guide stop number, 383, from the gallery label, or take a photo of it, to hear this free audio guide in six languages — no app download needed.
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