US Edition12,000-Year-Old Figurine Reveals Earliest Human-Animal Myth
The 3.7 cm figurine from Nahal Ein Gev II symbolizes early mythic imagination and animistic beliefs, marking a shift to symbolic narrative art among Natufian people.
- On November 17, Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences published a study reporting that Dr. Laurent Davin's team uncovered a clay figurine at Nahal Ein Gev II, Late Natufian site.
- Found within a ritual-filled semicircular stone structure, the figurine was recovered from Nahal Ein Gev II, a Late Natufian settlement spanning roughly 15,000 to 11,500 years ago.
- Microscopic and chemical analyses show the figurine, reassembled from three pieces and standing 3.7 cm tall, bears red ocher pigment and a preserved fingerprint and was heated to ~400°C.
- Researchers interpret the scene as a mythic encounter consistent with animistic beliefs, describing it as the earliest human–animal interaction and naturalistic depiction of a woman in Southwest Asia.
- The discovery pushes back the timeline for narrative art, challenging assumptions that such figurines arose with farming communities, while faunal evidence links geese in Natufian ritual life and suggests use by a shaman or ritual specialist.
22 Articles
22 Articles
Goose bumps: 12,000-year-old figurine from Israel shows surreal woman-bird mating scene
Tiny clay sculpture unearthed at Nahal Ein Gev in the Galilee is the earliest known figurine depicting human-animal interaction, as documented by study in prestigious PNAS journal
Unearthing Ancient Narratives: World's Oldest Mythological Figurine Found | Science-Environment
A 12,000-year-old clay figurine unearthed in Israel depicts a woman and goose, offering insights into prehistoric mythological beliefs. The artifact, discovered at Nahal Ein Gev II, showcases early portrayals of human-animal interaction, symbolizing spiritual beliefs. Researchers link its significance to the Natufian culture's storytelling and artistic evolution.
Figurine of a woman and a goose offers peek at prehistoric beliefs
A clay figurine about 12,000 years old that was unearthed at the site of a prehistoric village overlooking the Sea of Galilee in northern Israel depicts a woman and a goose in what may be one of the world's oldest renderings of a mythological scene.
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