A discovery dating back around 7,000 years has taken archaeologists by surprise. It seems that the model for this ancient sculptor was an alien.
Researchers uncovered the head of the “extraterrestrial” during excavations at the archaeological site of Bahra 1. 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,” noted expedition leader Agnieszka Szymczak from the University of Warsaw. According to her, “this was the first find of its kind not only among more than 1,500 small artifacts from the Bahra 1 site but also in the entire Persian Gulf region.”
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. Researchers reported that this artifact is typical of the Ubaid culture that developed in Mesopotamia.
Professor Petro Bilytsky from 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, imported pottery associated with the Ubaid culture, and another type known as coarse red pottery, samples of which have previously been found on the Arabian Peninsula.
The second type of pottery was long considered a local product. However, there has been no data regarding specific production sites, as reported by the Daily Mail.
Thus, a key discovery by the team was an unbaked clay vessel, which helped confirm that Bahra 1 is the oldest known pottery production site in the Persian Gulf region.