Disc from the Tomb of Hemaka (black steatite)

These particular objects known as the Hemaka discs were found in 1936 by the Egyptologist Walter Emery inside a wooden box, we do not know their purpose, but Emery suggested that they may have been used for weaving, although they may have been used as part of a game. This example bears a hunting scene, showing two dogs and two gazelles. Hemaka was an important official during the long reign of the First Dynasty Egyptian pharaoh Den. Early Dynastic Period, 1st Dynasty, ca. 3150-2890 BC. Now in the Egyptian Museum, Cairo.