SAEDNEWS: Archaeological excavations in the desert region of Al-Subiyah in northern Kuwait have uncovered a uniquely crafted clay figurine.
According to the History and Culture Service of Saed News, archaeologists say this statue represents the culture of prehistoric people who lived in the region between 5500 and 4900 BCE.
The statue’s head, characterized by an elongated skull, broad nose, subtle mouth, and narrow, close-set eyes, resembles the so-called Marna-style human figurines, typically created by the Ubaid culture.
Marna Human Figurine
This artifact was uncovered during excavations conducted by a team of Kuwaiti and Polish archaeologists at the archaeological site of Bahrain 1 in Kuwait.
Piotr Bieliński, an archaeologist at the University of Warsaw, Poland, remarked, “The presence of this statue raises intriguing questions about its purpose and its symbolic or ritual significance for the people of this ancient society.”
Long before the Sumerians established one of the world’s first civilizations, the local Ubaid culture laid the groundwork for many of Mesopotamia’s early infrastructural developments.
Trade networks, irrigation systems, and structures such as temples were among the achievements of this culture, which developed across regions of present-day Iraq and Kuwait.
The name of the culture comes from Tell al-Ubaid, west of Ur in Iraq’s Dhi Qar Province, where the first major excavation took place in 1919.
The Bahrain 1 archaeological site, dating back to the early Ubaid period, has attracted significant attention since 2009 due to its unique archaeological features.
Among these features is a structure described as a “ritual temple,” notable for its unexpected architectural layout for the period.
The discovery of a pottery workshop at Bahrain 1 has solved one of the mysteries surrounding the famous “rough red ware” pottery, which had been found across the region but whose production site was unknown.
Finding examples of this pottery alongside Ubaid handicrafts containing plant material in their clay has helped researchers connect the site to the broader Ubaid cultural network and better understand the region’s ecology some 7,000 years ago.
According to Roman Hovsepian, a paleoethnobotanist, “Preliminary analyses have identified traces of wild plants, particularly reeds, in locally produced pottery, while cultivated plants, including barley and wheat, appear in imported Ubaid vessels.”
Among the beautiful plates and jars created by Ubaid artisans, slender figurines with heads resembling birds or lizards have been discovered.
These clay figurines often feature coffee-bean-shaped eyes and dots on their bodies that appear to represent snake scales.
The exact meaning of these reptilian images remains unclear. However, archaeologists have proposed several theories regarding their significance based on the context in which they were found.
Some archaeologists believe these figurines may symbolize gods or spirit-like reptiles worshiped in Ubaid religious rituals.
Snakes in many ancient cultures were associated with rebirth, death and life, or protection against malevolent forces. These figurines may reflect such beliefs.
Additionally, some of these statues exhibit feminine characteristics, potentially linking them to fertility rituals.
Because most of the figurines have been found in graves alongside other objects, they may also have served ritualistic purposes in funerary ceremonies or as guardians of the dead.
Researchers say the new discovery provides a closer look at Ubaid beliefs and cultural practices and may pave the way for answering more questions about this prehistoric civilization.
