Primary Source

Animal Baking Mold [Object]

Annotation

This hollow cast iron container is a baking mold used for shaping bread or cake for children, according to archaeologists. It was excavated with a similar elephant mold. The mold is from the excavation of Hallado en al-Fudyan in Jordan, dated to the 8th century CE, during the Umayyad Islamic period. The mold is 17 cm high, 16.5 cm wide, and 6 cm deep (6.7 x 6.5 x 2.4 inches). The two hinges enable the mold to be opened and filled with dough. The ram is significant in Muslim society, especially during Islamic festival of Eid al-Adha, the Feast of the Sacrifice, which commemorates Abraham’s sacrifice of a ram in place of his son. On Eid al-Adha, households sacrifice an animal such as a sheep or a lamb, sharing the meat with neighbors and the poor. Children share in the festivities and entertainments, receiving gifts, sweets, and money.

Source

Ram Mould, J.1651, Jordan Archaeological Museum. Available online: Museum with No Frontiers, Discover Islamic Art, http://www.discoverislamicart.org/database_item.php?id=object;ISL;jo;Mus01;43;en (accessed April 1, 2009).

How to Cite This Source

"Animal Baking Mold [Object]," in Children and Youth in History, Item #311, https://cyh.rrchnm.org/items/show/311 (accessed August 10, 2021). Annotated by Susan Douglass