Anthropomoprphic Bird Spirit in Clay Amalgam

This figure was the "Rosetta stone" that revealed the ever-present bird-human image to this author.  Note the two detailed conjoined birds in the figure's mouth, facing away from each other.  There is also a bird head emerging from the middle of the mouth onto the chin.  The nose is also a bird, facing down- ward; both ears consist of birds, and there are birds in both eyes.  A bird rests on top of the head, looking down over the forehead.  Essentially this same grinning face, including the emerging bird, appears three-dimensionally on limestone heads affixed to very large clay birds that are typically composed of smaller ones.  In profile and often in frontal view, it appears consistently on stone hand tools.

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The same image in stone - click to expand.
Above:  Left profile.  The nose and chin (the chin including the bird emerging from the mouth) were pressed onto the face.  As the figure dried after several days out of the ground, the chin fell apart; the nose has become detached, but is otherwise intact (so far).  The features of the face have faded considerably.  This is one of many arguments for some professional attention to this site.

Below:  Bird forming left ear.  Note the green plant material in the mixture.
Below:  Right side of face.  Note the unfinished bird head cut from the figure.

Below:  The object face down in situ, still partially buried.

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