Mysterious alien-like statues unearthed from ancient Stone Age settlement
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Ubaid culture figurines bear striking similarities to modern depictions of aliens, researchers say, including elongated skulls and flat noses. Archaeologists have unearthed strange alien-looking statues with elongated heads from over 7,000 years ago in Kuwait, shedding more light on the origin and evolution of one of the oldest settlements in the Arabian peninsula.
![[Imported Ubaid ware]](https://static.independent.co.uk/2024/12/18/07/Bahra1_UbaidWare.jpg)
The Bahra 1 site, where the statues were found, has been a focal point for research on ancient Stone Age societies in Arabia since 2009. Excavations at the site have given insights into the Ubaid culture, which spread in its heyday from Mesopotamia to Anatolia and the Arabian peninsula.
![[Local red pottery or Arabian Coarse Red Ware]](https://static.independent.co.uk/2024/12/18/07/9_bahra1_Arabian-Red-Ware-Photo-A.Oleksiak.jpg)
A recent dig has uncovered several small but finely crafted clay heads. They bear similarities to modern depictions of aliens with elongated skulls, slanting eyes and flat noses. These traits, researchers say, are characteristic of figurines from the Ubaid culture.
While similar clay heads have previously been found in Mesopotamia, the Bahra 1 discovery is the first such in the Gulf region, archaeologists from the University of Warsaw, who are part of the excavation, said in a statement. “Its presence raises intriguing questions about its purpose and the symbolic, or possibly ritualistic, value it held for the people of this ancient community,” archaeologist Piotr Bieliński said.
The find also sheds more light on the scale and types of pottery produced in the region. Two types of pottery were in use in the larger Arabian region. One was the Ubaid pottery imported from Mesopotamia and the second was a local pottery called Coarse Red Ware.
