Archaeologists Discovered a Paleolithic Bird Figurine in a Rubbish Heap. Turns Out It's the Oldest 3

[Judi Lynn]

1. Tiny bird statue rewrites story of Chinese carving

Xinhua
23:58 UTC+8, 2020-06-11

An international team of archaeologists from China, Canada, France, Israel and Norway yesterday said a 13,500-year-old miniature bird sculpture unearthed in central China’s Henan Province may be the oldest known Chinese sculpture.

The discovery not only puts back the origin of sculpture in East Asia by more than 8,500 years but also the history of the art form of birds in China by 8,000 years.

The statue, 19.2 millimeters long, 5.1mm wide and 12.5mm high, is dark brown on one side and bronze on the other.

Made of a mammalian limb bone, which had been heated and charred before carving, the figurine has a stout body, short head, round beak and long tail. Instead of carving the bird’s legs, the ancient artist cut a base for the sculpture to stand on.

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https://www.shine.cn/news/nation/2006110032/