Unknown Artist
Today we present something unique. This terracotta figurine of a woman was created ... ca. 3500–3400 B.C.E.! Just to give you a comparison of what was happening in the world then: we know that the first known zoo was opened at Hierakonpolis (in Upper Egypt), humanity discovered tin, and wheeled vehicles were known beyond Mesopotamia, having spread north of the Caucasus and to Europe. So, it was really a long time ago! It is amazing that we can look at the examples of human creativity after more than five millennia.
But going back to the figurine, known also as a Bird Lady: she has a small head, with a beak-like face on a long neck that expands to her shoulders. Her waist is gracefully curving into uplifted arms with hands turned in and pointed, her thumbs are detached, and her fingers are separated by sharp grooves on both sides and then graded in length naturalistically. The legs have no feet but are peg-shaped and their separation is indicated by an extremely shallow groove.
The bird-like face probably represents the human nose, the source of the breath of life. The white skirt also has its meaning; it probably indicates high-status individuals.
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P.S. Learn about equally fascinating prehistoric statuettes that are even older than this beautiful Bird Lady. <3