A NEAR EASTERN TERRACOTTA VOTIVE CHARIOT. Syro-Hittite, ca. 1500-1000 BCE H. 14 cm Provenance Swiss private collection of Baron O.C.V.L (1937-2022) A hand-modeled pottery votive chariot with both high and low sides, this piece is part of a long-standing tradition in the ancient Near East of pottery figures that depict religious and daily life themes. It was likely offered by a worshipper as part of a ritual, and would have originally been accompanied by figures such as oxen, humans, and possibly small offerings like food placed inside. The chariot symbolized the gods' warlike nature.