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Nifty Archeology Bit

7,000-Year-Old Clay Found in Germany

An ancient clay figure of the lower half of a male body believed to date back to the Stone Age has been discovered in eastern Germany, archeologists said Thursday.

Workers digging on Monday for a new gas pipeline outside of Dresden came across the figure, which measures eight centimeters (three inches), said Judith Oexle, an archaeologist for the state of Saxony.

The figure, which details a male body from the waist to the calves, is the first such representation of a man to be found in the area, believed to date from 5,000 B.C., Oexle said. Previous finds have been representations of women.

"We believe that the entire figure originally measured 25 centimeters (10 inches) long," Oexle told reporters in Dresden Thursday, adding she believed it symbolized fertility and was created by farmers who settled middle Europe during the Stone Age.

Posted by Ithildin at August 25, 2003 5:37 PM | PROCURE FINE OLD WORLD ABSINTHE