An Egyptian faience box made using the inlay technique has been discovered in the Orenburg Region.
The artifact was found in a Sauromatian burial mound on the Tok River near the village of Kalikino. According to Nina Morgunova of the Orenburg State Pedagogical University, the box was found in a burial ground containing 20 burials from the Early Iron Age.
The artifact was found next to the skull of a woman who died at the age of 50. The burial had been plundered in ancient times, so only the upper part of the skeleton remains: the skull, forearms, collarbones, and vertebrae.
"On top of the box lay an iron knife, two pieces of chalk, and a bronze mirror, and next to it were three iron awls," the specialist explained.
The box, measuring 10 x 9 cm and 2.8 cm high, features a rotating lid and is divided into four identical compartments.
The uniqueness of this find lies in its crafting from azure-green Egyptian faience, with the lid and sides featuring inlays of vitreous material in shades of blue, white, red, dark brown, and light brown. The glass pieces are arranged in a pattern resembling a flower with petals.
The box is presumably made in the 6th–5th centuries BC.