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

[Judi Lynn]

Archaeologists Discovered a Paleolithic Bird Figurine in a Rubbish Heap. Turns Out It’s the Oldest 3D Chinese Art in the World
Archaeologists believe the tiny bird suggests that the Chinese began creating art independently of other civilizations.

Sarah Cascone, June 11, 2020



A miniature bird figurine discovered at Lingjing (Henan Province, China), dated to 13,500 years ago, is now the oldest-known example of Chinese art. Photo courtesy of Francesco d’Errico and Luc Doyon.


Archaeologists have discovered what appears to be the oldest known example of three-dimensional East Asian art in a rubbish pile excavated in Lingjing, Henan, China. The ancient Paleolithic bird figurine, carved from a blackened bone, dates to 13,500 years ago, according to radiocarbon testing.

The critical find potentially changes our understanding of ancient Chinese civilization and suggests that art arose there independently of other parts of the world. (Although sculpture dates back some 35,000 years in Europe, ancient art from the region differs significantly from the newly discovered bird form, suggesting it developed separately.) The research team, led by Zhanyang Li of Shandong University, revealed their discovery in a study published this week in the journal PLOS ONE.

“It pushes back the origin of avian representations in Chinese art by 8,500 years and identifies a potential link between Chinese Neolithic art and its Palaeolithic origins,” the study’s co-author Luc Doyon, of the University of Montreal, told Courthouse News. “We were definitely struck by this technological feat and by the beauty of the object.”

Anthropologists note that the embrace of symbolic thought, beyond the basic survival needs of a people, leads to the creation of art, which is an important factor in the development of a culture.

More:
https://news.artnet.com/art-world/ancient-bird-oldest-chinese-art-1885044

[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.

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