Ain Sakhri lovers
Encyclopedia
The Ain Sakhri lovers figurine is a sculpture that was found in one of the Ain Sakhri caves near Bethlehem
. The sculpture is considered to be 11,000 years old and to be the oldest known representation of two people engaged in sexual intercourse.
. He found the stone whilst visiting a small museum with Abbé Breuil
. Neuville immediately identified it as important and was able to get an introduction to the Bedouin
who had made the finds at Wadi Khareitoun. He was led to a location within the Ain Sakhri caves and it is from these caves that the sculpture gets its name. Excavations of the caves revealed that the cave had been used domestically thousands of years ago and the finds were Natufian. For this reason it is thought that the figurine was used domestically and had not been left there as part of a funeral.
The person who made the sculpture came from the Natufians, an early culture whose members are thought to be the first humans to gather grass seeds that remained attached to their stems. This is an important step in agriculture as it eventually allowed farmers to choose which seeds to eat and which to keep to sow the following season. These people hunted gazelle and are the first known to domesticate dogs, sheep, and goats which also involves selective breeding
. It has been speculated that the stability of having a managed food programme allowed the Natufians to create large communities of two to three hundred people and to create art
.
cobble" which was picked away with a stone point to identify the position of the couple. Although it lacks details, such as faces, it is considered to be a clever piece of sculpture. An artist, Marc Quinn
, has noted that the figure looks differently depending on the viewer's perspective. It may resemble a couple, a penis, breasts, or a vagina depending on this perspective. He compared it to a modern pornographic film where the action may include close-ups and long shots. It is clear that the figures in the couple are facing each other, but the gender of the figures can only be presumed. What is clear is that the sculpture is phallic whichever way it is viewed.
in January 2010 on the dawn of agriculture. It had been purchased by the British Museum
in 1958 at auction from the sale of the estate of M. Y. Neuville.
Bethlehem
Bethlehem is a Palestinian city in the central West Bank of the Jordan River, near Israel and approximately south of Jerusalem, with a population of about 30,000 people. It is the capital of the Bethlehem Governorate of the Palestinian National Authority and a hub of Palestinian culture and tourism...
. The sculpture is considered to be 11,000 years old and to be the oldest known representation of two people engaged in sexual intercourse.
Discovery
The sculpture was identified in 1933 by René Neuville, a French consul and prehistorian, when looking through random finds obtained by the French Fathers at BethlehemBethlehem
Bethlehem is a Palestinian city in the central West Bank of the Jordan River, near Israel and approximately south of Jerusalem, with a population of about 30,000 people. It is the capital of the Bethlehem Governorate of the Palestinian National Authority and a hub of Palestinian culture and tourism...
. He found the stone whilst visiting a small museum with Abbé Breuil
Henri Breuil
Henri Édouard Prosper Breuil , often referred to as Abbé Breuil, was a French Catholic priest, archaeologist, anthropologist, ethnologist and geologist...
. Neuville immediately identified it as important and was able to get an introduction to the Bedouin
Bedouin
The Bedouin are a part of a predominantly desert-dwelling Arab ethnic group traditionally divided into tribes or clans, known in Arabic as ..-Etymology:...
who had made the finds at Wadi Khareitoun. He was led to a location within the Ain Sakhri caves and it is from these caves that the sculpture gets its name. Excavations of the caves revealed that the cave had been used domestically thousands of years ago and the finds were Natufian. For this reason it is thought that the figurine was used domestically and had not been left there as part of a funeral.
The person who made the sculpture came from the Natufians, an early culture whose members are thought to be the first humans to gather grass seeds that remained attached to their stems. This is an important step in agriculture as it eventually allowed farmers to choose which seeds to eat and which to keep to sow the following season. These people hunted gazelle and are the first known to domesticate dogs, sheep, and goats which also involves selective breeding
Selective breeding
Selective breeding is the process of breeding plants and animals for particular genetic traits. Typically, strains that are selectively bred are domesticated, and the breeding is sometimes done by a professional breeder. Bred animals are known as breeds, while bred plants are known as varieties,...
. It has been speculated that the stability of having a managed food programme allowed the Natufians to create large communities of two to three hundred people and to create art
Art
Art is the product or process of deliberately arranging items in a way that influences and affects one or more of the senses, emotions, and intellect....
.
Appearance
The sculpture was made by carving a single "calciteCalcite
Calcite is a carbonate mineral and the most stable polymorph of calcium carbonate . The other polymorphs are the minerals aragonite and vaterite. Aragonite will change to calcite at 380-470°C, and vaterite is even less stable.-Properties:...
cobble" which was picked away with a stone point to identify the position of the couple. Although it lacks details, such as faces, it is considered to be a clever piece of sculpture. An artist, Marc Quinn
Marc Quinn
Marc Quinn is a British artist and part of the group known as Britartists or YBAs . He is known for Alison Lapper Pregnant , Self , and Garden .He is one of the Young British...
, has noted that the figure looks differently depending on the viewer's perspective. It may resemble a couple, a penis, breasts, or a vagina depending on this perspective. He compared it to a modern pornographic film where the action may include close-ups and long shots. It is clear that the figures in the couple are facing each other, but the gender of the figures can only be presumed. What is clear is that the sculpture is phallic whichever way it is viewed.
Importance and purchase
The object formed the basis of a BBC radio radio programmeA History of the World in 100 Objects
A History of the World in 100 Objects was a joint project of BBC Radio 4 and the British Museum, comprising a 100-part radio series written and presented by British Museum director Neil MacGregor...
in January 2010 on the dawn of agriculture. It had been purchased by the British Museum
British Museum
The British Museum is a museum of human history and culture in London. Its collections, which number more than seven million objects, are amongst the largest and most comprehensive in the world and originate from all continents, illustrating and documenting the story of human culture from its...
in 1958 at auction from the sale of the estate of M. Y. Neuville.