A huge Chavin Stone Platter, Early Horizon Period, ca. 900 – 500 BCE Gemstones Exhibited: The Australian Consulate

Exhibited: The Australian Consulate

likely serving both ceremonial and ornamental purposes

while the four legs integrate with a rectangular slab base

Hellenistic Period

A huge Chavin Stone Platter, Early Horizon Period, ca. 900 – 500 BCE Gemstones Exhibited: The Australian ConsulateAn exceptionally large ceremonial platter hand carved from dense grey basalt. Circular in form with a shallow concave interior and finely tapered edges, the piece demonstrates the technical mastery of Chavn stoneworkers who shaped and polished extremely hard volcanic rock using simple abrasives. Its monumental size and restrained design suggest a ritual rather than domestic function, possibly for offerings, libations, or the preparation of sacred