In
August, 1986 this multiple burial was unearthed. It was a
shallow pit grave located near hearths carbon-dated to
about 26,000 years ago. The remains were of an individual
of undetermined sex in the center, who had spinal
scoliosis, an asymmetrical skull, and an underdeveloped
right leg. On the left is a male reaching toward some red ochre located between
the legs of the middle body. A larger male on the right
is laying face down. The male skulls were adorned with
circles of arctic fox teeth, wolf teeth and ivory beads.
Stretched out on the ground were three people - young, probably late teens or early twenties, he guessed. Two of them were definitely male; they were bearded. The biggest one was probably the youngest. His light facial hair was still somewhat sparse. ... The third one was fairly tall but thin, and something about the body and the way it lay made him wonder if that person had had some physical problem. He could see no facial hair, which made him think it was a woman at first, but it also could have been a rather tall young man who shaved, just as easily.
With no burial shrouds, the bodies were simply carried to a single shallow grave one at a time. ... The tall, thin body went in first, placed on its back, and powdered red ochre was sprinkled on the head and, strangely, over the pelvis; the powerful generative area, making Jondalar wonder if, perhaps, it was indeed a woman.
The other two were handled differently, but even more strangely. The brown-haired male was put in the common grave, to the left of the first corpse from Jondalar's viewpoint, but on the figure's right, and placed on his side, facing the first body. Then his arm was stretched out so that his hand rested on the red-ochred pubic region of the other. The third body was almost thrown into the grave, facedown, on the right side of the body that had been put in first. Red ochre was also sprinkled on both of their heads. The sacred red powder was obviously meant for protection, but for whom? And against what?
 This is
the oldest known baked clay figurine. It is dated at
25,000 years old and is 11cm long. |
S'Armuna reached inside her shirt and
pulled out a small figure of a woman, perhaps four inches
high. ...this particular Mother figure was unique. ... It
was endowed with pendulous breasts and wide hips, the
arms were suggested only to the elbow, the legs tapered,
and though a hairstyle was indicated, the face bore no
markings. ...the material from which it was made was most
unusual. The color was uniformly dark. "That munai began as the dust of the earth," the woman stated. |
|
Head of a Lioness. Small sculpture in fired clay. 1 4/5" high (4.5 cm)
"I made something that I was going to give you after the firing," Cavoa said, taking a small leather package out of her shirt.
Inside the package was a small head of a lioness powerfully modeled out of clay.
Woman's Head Sculpture in Ivory. Height 1 3/4" (4.8cm)
In her hand was a small roundish object, the color of mammoth ivory.
Ayla held it up and smiled with a look of wonder. "Cavoa! I knew you were good. I didn't know you were this good," she said, carefully examining the small carving of S'Armuna.
It was just the head of the woman, no hint of a body, not even a neck, but there was no doubt who the carving was meant to depict. The hair was pulled up into a bun near the top of the head, and the narrow face was slightly skewed, with one side somewhat smaller than the other, yet the beauty and the dignity of the woman were evident.
Created by Diane in Cincinnati
Added 10 April 97