The makers of this object – the Ammonites – are extensively cited in the Old Testament as being descended from the illegitimate son of Lot. Their territory was on the “King’s Highway” from Egypt to other areas of the Middle East, and their economy – apart from trade – was based upon agriculture and mining. Their culture was considered to be allied to that of the Hebrews, although they also had affinities with the Edomites and the Israelites. They flourished for some considerable time in the dry lands of Northern Arabia, but seem to have become extinguished or absorbed by other cultures by the Late Classical period.