JERUSALEM, Nov. 18 (Xinhua) -- Archaeologists from Israel and the United States have uncovered a 12,000-year-old clay figurine in northern Israel depicting a woman and a goose, the Hebrew University of Jerusalem said in a statement late Monday.
The team described the artifact as the earliest known example of a figurine that shows interaction between a human and an animal, as well as the earliest naturalistic representation of a woman found in Southwest Asia.
Discovered at a Late Natufian prehistoric village near the Sea of Galilee, the figurine predates the Neolithic period and marks a significant step in the evolution of artistic and spiritual expression.
Researchers said the scene appears to be mythological or ritualistic, offering rare insight into the symbolic world of some of the earliest settled communities.
The artifact, just 3.7 centimeters tall, was shaped from local clay and heated to approximately 400 degrees Celsius. Microscopic analysis revealed traces of red pigment on both the woman and the goose, along with a fingerprint likely left by a young adult or adult female craftsperson.
The maker skillfully used light and shadow to create depth, techniques that became widespread only much later.
The woman is depicted crouching with a goose resting on her back. While geese were part of the Natufian diet, they also held symbolic significance within the community.
Researchers noted that the scene likely reflects a deeper spiritual connection between humans and animals and may represent an early form of mythic or ritual storytelling.
The find suggests that long before the advent of agriculture, early villagers were experimenting with narrative art and developing symbolic forms of expression that would later influence Neolithic culture. ■
