Help identify this stone boxes cultural origin. Egyptian?

I don’t think this is necessarily an antique but I’ve been wondering what culture the design represents since I picked it up months ago? I knew someone here would know. Egyptian? For some reason it reminds me of Maori but I don’t think that’s it. Hopefully someone can let me know if I’m close or if not where it may be from. Picked it up at an estate sale for a couple bucks because I can’t turn down a cool looking box. I don’t know why but I’m totally into boxes of all types and always have been.

I assume it’s soapstone but haven’t looked at the box itself since I got it and took photos basically.

 

nice box
nice craftsmanship
those designs....are completely unknown to me....

 

I agree, it isn't. Maybe the ship made you think Maori.
Possibly Egyptian or Phoenician inspired? -ish?

Searching for ancient bird boat led to this, Egyptian with Ra or Horus, present-day rendition:

https://depositphotos.com/292663080/stock-illustration-ancient-egypt-sun-god-ra.html

Maori canoes:

 

The boat looks Egyptian, but the head dresses look Polynesian. And that round motif is remeniscent of an Mayan calender.

 

Not really Mayan, which looks like this:


You probably mean the Aztec 'calendar stone' found at the old site of Tenochtitlán, in present day Mexico City. It is often used when people talk about the Maya calendar.

This is the Tenochtitlán stone, which is probably not even a calendar

 

I’m glad that it wasn’t just a mystery to me. That makes me feel better. Figured it would be obvious to someone immediately and that I was just missing it.

 

So, WHO reads hieroglyphics???????? Just for the fun of it, of course!!!! NICE box!!!

 

This box has similar figures and is claimed to be from Vietnam. Sorry can't get link Try googling soapstone box with boat

 

Thank you. I try with many posts to find the information needed. Most of my attempts go nowhere, but sometimes I am lucky. Now you have magic!

 

I came across this site, which has a Vietnamese soapstone 'Aztec box' from a Fair Trade program called Kids in Stone:
http://www.horsleyimports.com.au/ProductDetails.asp?CategoryID=105&ParentID=34

 

Wow nice find! Of course I just spent the last two hours or so researching Phoenician and Indus Valley images for similar details. I guess I should have checked back periodically and I would have saved myself a lot of time!!!! Thanks again! I would have never guessed Vietnam.

 

Hmm yeh maybe they are just making them in Vietnam and there a sticker or something on the boxes so people are assuming the design is attributable to Vietnamese culture? Or maybe it is, I’ll look around.

 

There is none, but it is a start, great research as always, inh. And @KikoBlueEyes of course.

 

Found the bird, it is called Chim Lac, a mythical bird. The image and the other symbols were found on a bronze Dong Son culture drum. Dong Son is a Southeast Asian Bronze Age culture named after a Vietnamese village where the first items were found.

https://www.behance.net/gallery/57182523/Vietnam-Symbols

The Dong Son culture was highly organized. For instance there was a specialized foundry on the Indonesian island of Madura just for the manufacture of ceremonial drums.

 

Fascinating. Real similarities with both Pacific NW and some South American imagery.