Ancient 13,000-Year-Old Sculpture of a Bird Ranks Among the Earliest Examples of Three-Dimensional Artwork
A mind-blowing discovery in China has positioned a 13,000-year-old statue as the oldest ever unveiled in the country.
This miniature bird statuette, expertly carved from burned bone, stands as the earliest three-dimensional work of art discovered in China. European mammoth ivory carvings dating back 40,000-38,000 years, which depict animals and humans, are the earliest known examples of prehistoric humans creating three-dimensional art. However, the origin of this form of art in the rest of the world remains unclear.
A study published in PLOS ONE describes the extraordinary discovery of a small standing bird statuette found at the Lingjing Paleolithic site in Henan, China. This fascinating artifact offers valuable insights, helping scientists better comprehend the history of three-dimensional art and its development over time.
In 2005, during excavations led by researcher Zhanyang Li, eleven different layered layers, ranging from 120,000 years ago to the Bronze Age, were discovered at Lingjing. Regrettably, most of the fifth layer was removed during a well-digging operation in 1958, potentially deleting various historical artifacts. Fortunately, the pile of material excavated from the well remained nearby and was largely intact. After sifting through the sediments from this trash pile, the authors stumbled upon black flint identical to what was left of Layer 5 at the excavation site, as well as various artifacts, including ceramic sherds, burned animal remains, and the figurine of a bird carved from bone and resembling a songbird on a pedestal.
Using radiocarbon dating on the discovered burned animal remains, the authors estimated the age of the bird statue and associated bone material to be between 13,400 and 13,200 years. This suggests that hunter-gatherers with stone tool technologies were living at the site around 13,000 years ago, and were responsible for carving the artistic representation of the bird.
Bird representations hold a unique place in Chinese art, with the oldest Neolithic example being a jade songbird dating back approximately 5,000 years. The Lingjing Paleolithic bone bird figure predates this by nearly 8,500 years and boasts several technological and stylistic elements that set it apart from contemporary representations of bird-like creatures in Western Europe and Siberia, such as the pedestal on which the Lingjing bird is perched.
"Microscopic and microtomographic analyses of the figurine and the study of bone fragments from the same context reveal the object was made of bone blackened by heating and carefully carved with four techniques that left diagnostic traces on the entire surface of the object," the researchers explained in their study.
While more examples of Paleolithic carvings are needed to confirm this possibility, the Lingjing bird figurine suggests the presence of a long-standing specific East Asian artistic tradition, with roots in the Paleolithic.
"This discovery identifies an original artistic tradition and takes the representation of birds in Chinese art back more than 8,500 years," the authors of the study revealed. The figure differs technologically and stylistically from other specimens found in Western Europe and Siberia, potentially serving as the missing link that traces the origins of Chinese statuary art back to the Paleolithic.
The Lingjing Paleolithic bone bird figure, discovered in China, provides significant insights into the history of three-dimensional art, as it is the oldest known three-dimensional artifact in the country. This find also suggests the presence of a long-standing specific East Asian artistic tradition, with roots in the Paleolithic, which could potentially serve as the missing link tracing the origins of Chinese statuary art back to this era. Furthermore, this artifact demonstrates the use of technology, such as heating and carving techniques, in the creation of artifacts, linking it to the realm of science and technology.
