whistle

Clay whistle in the shape of a bird, probably a hoopoe. The bird is shown as having a thick and blunt beak and a crest of feathers on top of his head. Details such as eyes and feathers are rendered with stamped and incised strokes and dots. The body of the bird is hollow and the beak has a small aperture. This, in connection with the triangular opening on his back suggests that the object functioned as a whistle. For a fragment from a similar object see MAS.124.