Crafted from the trunk of a larch tree, this impressive figure features multiple human faces.
– **What it is:** The world’s oldest known wooden sculpture – **Where it was found:** Discovered at the bottom of a peat bog in Russia’s Ural Mountains in 1894 – **When it was made:** Carved 12,100 years ago, this towering sculpture predates the Egyptian pyramids by more than twice their age. – **What it tells us about the past:** Originally standing at 17.4 feet (5.3 meters) tall, this wood carving depicts a human figure adorned with geometric motifs, zigzag patterns, human faces, and hands. For years, archaeologists debated the artifact’s age. However, the latest analysis, published in the journal *Quaternary International*, determined that it was created by Pleistocene hunter-gatherers (2.6 million to 11,700 years ago).
Many markings on the Shigir Idol resemble those found at Göbekli Tepe, a Neolithic site in Turkey, suggesting a common artistic tradition that emerged as the last ice age ended. Despite extensive study, the wooden figure’s true purpose remains unknown. Some researchers speculate it may have been used in ancient rituals, while others believe the carved faces encode mythologies, with their vertical placement indicating a hierarchy or sequence of events, as proposed by a study in the journal *Antiquity*.
