The alabaster used by ancient civilisations in the Near East, including Egyptian and Mesopotamian civilisations, is often referred to as ‘oriental alabaster’, and is a type of calcite. Due to its easy carving characteristic and resemblance to marble, many ancient people used alabaster for decoration. Although alabaster’s soft and slightly porous stone made it easy to carve, the upshot was that it would not survive for significant periods of time when exposed to the natural elements. The name “alabaster” is thought to have derived from the Ancient Egyptian, ‘a-labaste‘, which refers to the vessels of the goddess, Bast. She is usually depicted as a lioness, her figure often sitting atop alabaster vessels.
Old Kingdom Egypt did not boast a professional military, so weapons, such as this mace head, would have been brandished by members of a volunteer army. Although bow and arrows were the most common choice, Egyptian weaponry was varied, and included swords, knives and spears. Maceheads were made of stone or wood, and (in addition to the soldiers of volunteer armies) they were a favourite weapon of Egyptian kings. This is evident from numerous surviving reliefs, which depict the nation’s ruler smiting his enemies with a mace.