An unusual human sculpture was unearthed in Turkey. The recent find was reportedly similar to the famed Urfa Man.
Life-Sized Human Sculpture Similar to Urfa Man
Archaeologists in Turkey have discovered one of the earliest and most lifelike representations of a human sculpture, showing a man grasping his phallus with both hands. The strange statue, which stands 7.5 feet (2.3 meters) tall, was found in Karahan Tepe, a prehistoric site some 22 miles (35 kilometers) from a Mesolithic temple constructed 6,000 years before Stonehenge.
It shares stylistic similarities with the 10,300-year-old Urfa Man sculpture discovered in southeast Turkey in 1993 while construction was done there. Urfa Man was regarded as the "oldest life-sized naturalistic sculpture of a human."
Karahan Tepe, however, is thought to surpass Urfa Man as the earliest human statue ever discovered on Earth because it dates back to roughly 9,400 BC. The sculpture was affixed to the ground on a seat at Karahan Tepe, one of the most significant Neolithic settlements.
It has a lifelike facial expression, a powerful, wide "v-neck" design, and plainly visible ribs. The statue, which could be 11,400 years old, also features arms that are seen grasping its phallus that extends down its sides.
The Karahan Tepe Man is significantly taller than the Urfa Man and has carved eyes as opposed to black obsidian ones like the Urfa Man. The Karahan Tepe Man is also not balding.
A bird statue with a beak, eyes, and wings was also discovered nearby during excavations, and according to Turkish archaeologists, it represents a vulture.
Animal sculptures have also been discovered at the location before. At Karahan Tepe in Turkey's southeast Anlurfa region, which is close to the Unesco World Heritage site Göbekli Tepe, statues of snakes, insects, birds, a rabbit, and a gazelle have also previously been discovered.
The oldest known Mesolithic temple is said to be located at Göbekli Tepe, which is also known as the "zero-point of history" and dates back to 9,600 BC.
Bronze Nude Figure Artifact With Hinged Oversized Phallus
In 2022, Paul Shepheard, 69, participated in a detector rally in Haconby, Lincolnshire. The discovery of a bronze Celtic artifact depicting a naked person holding a large phallus in their right hand caught him completely off guard.
When he received a signal on his brand-new XP Deus II metal detector, the retired processing consultant said his wife, Joanne, had discovered a medieval penny. After digging 10 inches, he initially believed he had found a massive steel split pin to hold the wheels on farm carts. He noted the object had a face and was carrying a sizable phallus in its right hand that was hinged to move.
The object has a height of 2.1 inches (5.5 cm) and a width of 0.4 inches (1.2 cm). With a pre-auction estimate of £800 to £1,200 ($958 to $1,438), it will be offered at auction at Noonans in Mayfair, London.
The relic could be about 2,000 years old, according to Nigel Mills, a consultant at Noonan's, who said it was from the Celtic period in the first century AD. According to reports, it depicts the fertility god, possibly based on the Roman god Mercury, holding a purse in his left hand.
According to legend, the masculine figure with the disproportionately large hinged phallus can stave off bad luck. Phalli were frequently utilized as unlucky protection throughout the Roman Empire.
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