Phot. Jarosław Dąbrowski/PCMA
Travertine, also known as ‘Egyptian alabaster’, was highly valued by ancient Egyptians, because it is beautiful and can be easily worked, with precisely rendered tiny details.
Statues and statuettes were often made of travertine, but above all, the stone was a favourite material for luxury vessels – with polished, very thin, translucent walls.
In the tomb of one of the dignitaries buried near the tomb of Merefnebef, a cylindrical travertine vessel was found in 2017, that may originally have contained a perfumed unguent; it was put inside the coffin, at the left palm of the deceased.