Gaby
A 7,000-year-old discovery has surprised archaeologists — the little clay head looks like what many would call an ‘alien’.
Researchers unearthed the tiny “extraterrestrial” head during excavations at the Bahra 1 site. The team described the clay artifact as “a small, expertly crafted head with slanted eyes, a flat nose, and an elongated skull.” Such unusual sculptural forms were common in ancient Mesopotamia, but this is the first find of its kind in the Persian Gulf region.
“The discovery of the figurine was a complete surprise for the entire team,” said expedition leader Agnieszka Szymczak of the University of Warsaw. “This was the first find of its kind not only among the more than 1,500 small artifacts recovered at Bahra 1, but anywhere in the Persian Gulf.”
What else is known about the strange head?
For 15 years, the team has been excavating one of the oldest settlements on the Arabian Peninsula, which existed between 5500 and 4900 B.C. The team says the artifact matches features of the Ubaid culture, which developed in Mesopotamia.
Professor Petro Bilytsky of the Center for Mediterranean Archaeology at the University of Warsaw remarked, “The presence of this figurine at our site raises intriguing questions about its purpose and the symbolic and possibly ritual significance it held for the community that lived here.”
Since the beginning of the excavations at the Bahra 1 site, scientists have discovered two types of pottery. Specifically, they found imported pottery associated with the Ubaid culture and another type known as coarse red pottery, samples of which have been found previously on the Arabian Peninsula.
The second type of pottery was long considered a local product. However, the Daily Mail reports there is no evidence identifying where that pottery was made.
Thus, a key discovery by the team was an unfired clay vessel, which helped confirm that Bahra 1 is the oldest known pottery production site in the Persian Gulf region.
