Archaeologists have made a major breakthrough after unearthing a mysterious 7,000-year-old figurine that resembles an alien.
While excavating Kuwait’s Bahra 1 archaeological site, archaeologists came across the bizarre statue crafted by the Ubaid people.
Although this figurine may seem odd in the modern age, its style was common in ancient Mesopotamia.
Archaeologists described the clay figure as a “small, finely crafted head, with slanted eyes, a flat nose, and an elongated skull.”
Similar clay heads have previously been found in Mesopotamia, but this is the first of its kind to be found in Kuwait or the Arabian Gulf.
Archaeologists from the University of Warsaw, who are participating in the excavation, said in a statement that “its presence raises intriguing questions.”
“Its presence raises intriguing questions about its purpose and the symbolic, or possibly ritualistic, value it held for the people of this ancient community,” archaeologist Piotr Bieliński said.
Labelled as a “remarkable find”, researchers now hope the statue will shed light on Ubaid rituals and social practices and their prehistoric connections between Mesopotamia and the Arabian Gulf.
The Jerusalem Post reports that Hassan Ashkanani, an excavation leader from Kuwait University, said: “The discovery of the clay human head is one of the most remarkable finds of the current excavation season.”
This site is one of the Arabian Peninsula’s oldest settlements, with occupation lasting from around 5500 to 4900 BC.
The Bahra 1 site, where the statues were found, has been a key point for research on ancient Stone Age societies in Arabia since 2009.
The groundbreaking find also provides more insight into the types of pottery produced in the region.
Two types of pottery were used in the larger Arabian region. One was the Ubaid pottery imported from Mesopotamia, and the second was a local pottery called Coarse Red Ware.
Excavations at the site are ongoing, as are studies on the clay figurine head found this year.
