Anthropomorphic Stele; El-Maakir-Qayrat al-Kaafa near Ha'il, Saudi Arabia; 4,000-3,000 BCE; Sandstone; 29x21 cm
Very stylized representation of a human figure, carved from stone. Has a make image and carries knives in sheaths across the chest and a knife tucked.
Content:
- represents a human (anthropomorphic)
- where the work gets its name from
- Emphasis of carving is on the front, both sides are carved, specifically the face, chest, and waist
- The face/head is trapezoidal in shape with a pair of eyes and a long nose
- The chest has a necklace running parallel, across the body with an awl (small pointed tool) running perpendicularly through it
- Along the waist there is some sort of belt or sheath holding a double bladed dagger
- The belt runs all the way around the front and back
Form:
- Made from Sandstone
- The carvings are not very intricate despite sandstone not being difficult to carve/ Simple and slightly abstract
- indicates artistic ability/skill of the society
- The carvings are bas-relief
Context:
- This work was formed in pre-islamic Northern Saudi Arabia, Ha'il
- Ha'il is along the trade routes from the Arabian peninsula into modern day Iraq and Syria
- This specific Stele was found among over 60 others near Ha'il
- This area was heavily populated for the time due to its fertile ground
- Other Stelae with similar characteristics have been found all over the Arabian Peninsula
- this possibly indicates a similar belief system
- also indicates that objects like these were traded and exchanged during the Neolithic period
Function:
- These objects were small and found over the expansive area of Saudi Arabia indicating that they had some value
- Stele- A stele is a vertical stone monument or marker often inscribed with text or relief carving
- considering that they were found in large quantities near a village, they may have had some cultural importance
- Connected to the pre-islamic belief in the afterlife
- Shows the importance of the human figure
Cross-Cultural Connections:
Muto, Preying Mantra
Female Deity from Nukuoro
Braque Portuguese
