244, Lot: 558. Estimate $150. Sold for $155. This amount does not include the buyer’s fee.

Bronze bell. Nabataean, 1st century BC-2nd century AD. Decorated with four facing heads, all similar. Height: 2.3cm. Thick earthen deposits. Clapper missing, otherwise well preserved. Rare and interesting.

Such bells were probably sewn onto garments or worn around the neck. Their function was certainly apotropaic in nature - that is, to ward off bad luck and protect against the “evil eye”.