{"it":{"id":"W11A43","kind":"artifact","sub":"Authenticated","name":"Sabu disk (tri-lobed schist disc)","place":"Cairo","mat":"weakly metamorphic siltstone","dims":"dia 61 cm; max height 10.6 cm; central hole ~8 cm","loc":"Egyptian Museum Cairo (Room 43 per de.wikipedia)","acc":"JE 71295","find":"Walter Emery, mastaba S3111 Saqqara, 19 Jan 1936","flag":"genuine ancient","src":[137,138,139,140,481],"lat":30.048,"lon":31.234,"tags":[],"sum":"About 5,000 years ago a craftsman at Saqqara, Egypt, shaped an unusual stone bowl. It is 61 cm across and about 10 cm high, carved from metasiltstone, with three thin lobes curled in towards a central tube, set 120 degrees apart.\n\nWalter Emery found it on 10 January 1936 in tomb 3111, a mastaba about 1.7 km north of Djoser's Step Pyramid. The tomb belonged to Sabu, an official of the First Dynasty kings Den and Anedjib. The bowl was crushed when found and has been restored. It is now in the Egyptian Museum in Cairo.\n\nWhat is hard to explain is the purpose. The walls are thin and the lobes fragile, so the bowl could hardly have been used hard. Emery's own 1949 report listed only \"fragments of metasiltstone bowl\", and the shape has no clear parallel in stone.\n\nMainstream readings vary. El-Khouli suggested in 1978 that it copies a metal vessel. William Kay saw a lamp with three flames, and others read the central tube as a container. In 2022 Akio Kato, a physicist at Kanagawa University, proposed that it was a rake for mashing grain in beer making. He measured the disc at 1 cm thick. None of these uses has been proven.\n\nIf it was made only to be looked at, what did the shape mean to the people who saw it?","why":"A thin stone bowl with three curled lobes, from a First Dynasty tomb, still has no agreed use.","nfacts":10,"nsrc":5,"yt":"Measure lobe thickness in published photos.","rel":["W21LA02","W11A01"],"hook":"A stone bowl 61 cm across, with three lobes 120 degrees apart, has no agreed use."},"S":{"137":["Wikipedia Sabu disk","https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Sabu_disk&oldid=1375396173"],"138":["Hall of Maat (Unforbidden Geology): Tomb of Sabu and the tri-lobed bowl (cites Emery 1949)","https://www.hallofmaat.com/unforbiddengeology/the-tomb-of-sabu-and-the-tri-lobed-ornamental-bowl/"],"139":["de.wikipedia Sabu-Scheibe","https://de.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sabu-Scheibe"],"140":["La Civilta Egizia, Sabu vessel JE 71295 (museum label text)","https://laciviltaegizia.org/2023/01/07/vessel-from-a-high-officials-tomb/"],"481":["Wikipedia: Sabu disk","https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sabu_disk"]},"rec":{"id":"W11A43","alias":[],"ms":[{"a":"diameter","v":"61","u":"cm","unc":"","by":"","yr":"","m":"","b":"S","t":"MEASUREMENT","id":"W11M164","s":["W11S89"],"c":"Wikipedia Sabu disk","url":"https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Sabu_disk&oldid=1375396173"},{"a":"max_height","v":"10.6","u":"cm","unc":"","by":"","yr":"","m":"","b":"S","t":"MEASUREMENT","id":"W11M165","s":["W11S89"],"c":"Wikipedia Sabu disk","url":"https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Sabu_disk&oldid=1375396173"},{"a":"central_hole","v":"~8","u":"cm","unc":"","by":"","yr":"","m":"","b":"S","t":"MEASUREMENT","id":"W11M166","s":["W11S89"],"c":"Wikipedia Sabu disk","url":"https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Sabu_disk&oldid=1375396173"},{"a":"find_date","v":"1936-01-19","u":"date","unc":"","by":"Emery","yr":"1936","m":"","b":"S","t":"MEASUREMENT","id":"W11M167","s":["W11S89"],"c":"Wikipedia Sabu disk","url":"https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Sabu_disk&oldid=1375396173"},{"a":"diameter_Emery","v":"61","u":"cm","unc":"maximum","by":"Emery 1949 (via Hall of Maat)","yr":"1949","m":"","b":"V","t":"MEASUREMENT","id":"W11M173","s":["W11S108","W11S109"],"c":"Hall of Maat (Unforbidden Geology): Tomb of Sabu and the tri-lobed bowl (cites Emery 1949)","url":"https://www.hallofmaat.com/unforbiddengeology/the-tomb-of-sabu-and-the-tri-lobed-ornamental-bowl/"},{"a":"max_height_Emery","v":"10","u":"cm","unc":"differs from 10.6 (Wikipedia)","by":"Emery 1949 (via Hall of Maat)","yr":"1949","m":"","b":"S","t":"MEASUREMENT","id":"W11M174","s":["W11S108"],"c":"Hall of Maat (Unforbidden Geology): Tomb of Sabu and the tri-lobed bowl (cites Emery 1949)","url":"https://www.hallofmaat.com/unforbiddengeology/the-tomb-of-sabu-and-the-tri-lobed-ornamental-bowl/"},{"a":"central_tube_HoM","v":"~10","u":"cm","unc":"differs from ~8 cm (Wikipedia)","by":"Hall of Maat","yr":"","m":"","b":"S","t":"MEASUREMENT","id":"W11M175","s":["W11S108"],"c":"Hall of Maat (Unforbidden Geology): Tomb of Sabu and the tri-lobed bowl (cites Emery 1949)","url":"https://www.hallofmaat.com/unforbiddengeology/the-tomb-of-sabu-and-the-tri-lobed-ornamental-bowl/"},{"a":"find_date_HoM","v":"1936-01-10","u":"date","unc":"conflicts with 19 Jan","by":"Hall of Maat","yr":"","m":"","b":"S","t":"MEASUREMENT","id":"W11M176","s":["W11S108"],"c":"Hall of Maat (Unforbidden Geology): Tomb of Sabu and the tri-lobed bowl (cites Emery 1949)","url":"https://www.hallofmaat.com/unforbiddengeology/the-tomb-of-sabu-and-the-tri-lobed-ornamental-bowl/"},{"a":"lobe_spacing","v":"120","u":"deg","unc":"","by":"Hall of Maat","yr":"","m":"","b":"S","t":"MEASUREMENT","id":"W11M177","s":["W11S108"],"c":"Hall of Maat (Unforbidden Geology): Tomb of Sabu and the tri-lobed bowl (cites Emery 1949)","url":"https://www.hallofmaat.com/unforbiddengeology/the-tomb-of-sabu-and-the-tri-lobed-ornamental-bowl/"},{"a":"tomb_stone_vessels","v":"48","u":"count","unc":"39 travertine, 7 metasiltstone, 2 tuff","by":"Emery (via Hall of Maat)","yr":"1949","m":"","b":"S","t":"MEASUREMENT","id":"W11M178","s":["W11S108"],"c":"Hall of Maat (Unforbidden Geology): Tomb of Sabu and the tri-lobed bowl (cites Emery 1949)","url":"https://www.hallofmaat.com/unforbiddengeology/the-tomb-of-sabu-and-the-tri-lobed-ornamental-bowl/"}],"lab":[{"k":"Materials","v":"metasiltstone","b":"S","s":["W11S89"],"url":"https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Sabu_disk&oldid=1375396173"}],"eng":[],"ori":[],"gaps":[],"dat":[],"aa":[{"id":"AA196","a":"Machine part / imitation of advanced metal technology","who":"Erich von Daniken (copy at Jungfrau Park)","main":"Function unclear; possibly stone imitation of metal vessel; 1st Dyn stone-vessel peak","ms":"W11S89;W11S108;W11S109;W11S121","st":"unresolved","n":"Function unknown; no evidence of non-human technology. Find date 19 Jan (en/de Wikipedia) vs 10 Jan 1936 (Hall of Maat); height 10.6 vs 10 cm (Emery 1949 via Hall of Maat); separate rows.","nl":"1"}],"ac":[],"me":[],"ci":[{"who":"Erich von Daniken","med":"book/literature","ep":"von Daniken (Jungfrau Park display)","v":"Machine part/advanced tech (replica displayed in Orient Pavilion)","b":"V","s":["W11S89","W11S109"]}],"cq":[],"sd":[],"art":{"claimed_anomaly":"Machine part / imitation of advanced metal technology","mainstream_reading":"Function unclear; possibly stone imitation of metal vessel; 1st Dyn stone-vessel peak","provenance_flag":"genuine ancient","current_location":"Egyptian Museum Cairo (Room 43 per de.wikipedia)","find_circumstances":"Walter Emery, mastaba S3111 Saqqara, 19 Jan 1936","claimant":"Erich von Daniken (copy at Jungfrau Park)","status":"unresolved","dimensions":"dia 61 cm; max height 10.6 cm; central hole ~8 cm","material":"weakly metamorphic siltstone","date":"","culture":"","museum_accession":"JE 71295","b":"V","s":["W11S89","W11S108","W11S109","W11S121"]},"sub":[],"src":[{"id":"W11S89","t":"Wikipedia Sabu disk","u":"https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Sabu_disk&oldid=1375396173"},{"id":"W11S108","t":"Hall of Maat (Unforbidden Geology): Tomb of Sabu and the tri-lobed bowl (cites Emery 1949)","u":"https://www.hallofmaat.com/unforbiddengeology/the-tomb-of-sabu-and-the-tri-lobed-ornamental-bowl/"},{"id":"W11S109","t":"de.wikipedia Sabu-Scheibe","u":"https://de.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sabu-Scheibe"},{"id":"W11S121","t":"La Civilta Egizia, Sabu vessel JE 71295 (museum label text)","u":"https://laciviltaegizia.org/2023/01/07/vessel-from-a-high-officials-tomb/"},{"id":null,"t":"Wikipedia: Sabu disk","u":"https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sabu_disk"},{"id":"VW11A43-6","t":"Archaeological Discovery 10 (2022), DOI 10.4236/ad.2022.101002","u":"https://doi.org/10.4236/ad.2022.101002"}],"qs":["Experts have called it a lamp, a copy of a metal pot and a beer rake. Which reading fits the shape best?","Why would anyone carve a vessel too fragile to use?","If it was made only to be looked at, what did the shape mean to the people who saw it?"],"gal":[{"src":"https://thumb.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/b/b4/Disk_of_Sabu.jpg/1280px-Disk_of_Sabu.jpg?utm_source=commons.wikimedia.org&utm_campaign=imageinfo&utm_content=thumbnail","page":"https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Disk_of_Sabu.jpg","title":"Disk of Sabu.jpg","lic":"CC0","licurl":"http://creativecommons.org/publicdomain/zero/1.0/deed.en","by":"Martin1833","cap":"This object comes from the tomb of Sabu, Egypt."}]},"img":null,"md":null,"hh":[{"v":"3000 BC","h":"Egyptian First Dynasty","s":[233]},{"v":"dia 61 cm","h":"Recorded dimensions: dia 61 cm; max height 10.6 cm; central hole ~8 cm","s":[234]},{"v":"Walter Emery","h":"Where it was found: Walter Emery, mastaba S3111 Saqqara, 19 Jan 1936","s":[234]}],"hs":{"233":["Wikipedia: Sabu disk (and sources cited there)","https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sabu_disk"],"234":["Wikipedia Sabu disk","https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Sabu_disk&oldid=1375396173"]},"lh":{"s":"img/h/W11A43.webp","w":1280,"h":1265,"o":"https://thumb.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/b/b4/Disk_of_Sabu.jpg/1280px-Disk_of_Sabu.jpg?utm_source=commons.wikimedia.org&utm_campaign=imageinfo&utm_content=thumbnail"}}