4 - Egyptian Knapped Stone Fish-Tailed Knife. The Peter Clayton Egyptian Collection (Lots 1-32 & 391-500)

Egyptian Knapped Stone Fish-Tailed Knife. The Peter Clayton Egyptian Collection (Lots 1-32 & 391-500) Predynastic Period, circa 3,500-3,000 B.C. With long edges knapped, a rounded point, a forked end, and a rippled surface. Cf. Patch, D.C., 'Flint Blade', in: Allen, J.P. Mininberg, D.T. (eds.), The Art of Medicine in Ancient Egypt, New York, 2005, pp. 27 28, no. 17, for a fine example of the type. 38.6 grams, 11.5 cm (4 1/2 in.). [No Reserve] Acquired from Elgin Antiques, Portobello Road, 26th November 1960, for 2.00. From the private collection of Peter Clayton, FCILIP, Dip, Arch, FSA, FRNS, Hemel Hempstead, Hertfordshire, UK; formed since the late 1950s. Accompanied by an old handwritten information card by Peter Clayton, collection no.77. These objects were crafted from fine flint and featured a narrow, pointed handle end, once hafted into wood, ivory, bone, or gold, and a broad, serrated, forked blade. Originally used during life, possibly to cut an infant's umbilical cord, they were later placed in male graves as elite ceremonial or funerary objects. Egyptologists often associate them with the pesesh-kef tool used in the funerary 'Opening of the Mouth' ceremony, which symbolically restored breath and the senses to a mummy or statue. TimeLine Auctions follows a rigorous vetting process to ensure the authenticity and legality of all items, reinforcing our commitment to integrity and responsible trading. Each antiquity, antique, and coin lot undergoes thorough examination by a vetting committee of at least ten external specialists, professional trade association members, scientists, and archaeologists. See our website for more information.