ALT My photo shows a human figure roughly carved from dark brown oak wood during the Mesolithic period about 5,400-5,300 BC. It is 12.5 cm tall with a long body with two finger-shaped indents on the right hand side, suggesting it was made to be held in the hand. The stylized head has deeply carved eyes, nose, and open mouth. The triangular shape of the mouth makes it look as if the figure is smiling, leading to its description as ‘The oldest smile in the world’. It is displayed against a black display case background at Landesmuseum Halle in Germany where the figure is currently on loan for the ‘Shamaness’ exhibition. It is part of the permanent collections of Rijksmuseum van Oudheden, Leiden, Netherlands. It was found in a layer of peat in 1966 during the construction of a dock at Willemstad, North Brabant, Netherlands.

ALT My photo shows three bright orange, drop-shaped pieces of amber arranged in a row against a dark background in a museum display case. Each piece of amber is decorated with finely incised patterns. The smaller piece on the left is decorated with a comb motif - a horizontal line with short vertical lines on top. The larger middle piece has a patchwork of alternating incised rectangles, and the piece on the right has three horizontal rows made up of drilled pits across its surface . Each piece has a hole at the top suggesting it was attached to a cord to be worn as jewellery or suspended. Amber has many properties which may have been associated with 'magic'. For example, when rubbed against fur, amber produces static electricity which can give off sparks in the dark, make hair stand on end, and attract small things towards it.

ALT My photo shows two blue-green Egyptian faience hippopotamus figurines displayed on a white museum surface. The larger hippo on the right sits upright on its haunches with short front legs planted forward, head turned to the left with mouth open, as if smiling. It is 9 cm in length. The smaller hippo on the left lies in a reclining or resting pose, with body close to the ground. It measures 4.8cm in length. Both are decorated with black lotus flower and aquatic river plant motifs. The museum arrangement makes them appear like a mother and her baby hippo 🥰 Egyptian blue faience is a ceramic material made of ground quartz. The decoration depicts Nile river plants such as lotus flowers found in their marsh habitat. Lotus flowers were associated with regeneration as they open in the morning and close at night. Ancient Egyptians feared hippos for their destructive power, but they were also seen as fiercely protective of their young, embodying positive powers of rebirth

ALT My photo shows a small figurine of a bear carved and polished out of a piece of amber between 9600 and 4100 BC. Seen in profile facing right, the amber bear is a deep translucent orange in colour which is emphasised by display lighting against a dark background, which makes the amber glow. The head is carved to show ears, mouth, nostrils, and eyes. A hole through the torso indicates it was threaded onto a cord. Length 10.2 cm, Height 4.2cm. Found during peat digging near Słupsk, Poland, in 1887. I took this photo today at the Landesmuseum Halle in Germany where the bear is currently on loan from Poland for the excellent ‘Shamaness of Bad Duremburg’ exhibition.

ALT My photo shows a profile view of a small horse figurine with head to the left, displayed against a dark background. Sculpted from mammoth ivory, the surface is a mottled greyish-earthy-brown colour with a shiny patina. It was once likely off-white in colour. The head is gracefully lowered with a long and elegant curving neck, and a convex curved back. The four legs are incomplete. The top of the tail remains. The eyes, nostrils, and mouth are carved as indents. It measures a mere 2.5 cm in height, 4.8 cm width, and 0.7 cm depth. The 'Vogelherd Horse' was excavated in 1931, together with a number of other ivory animal figurines from the Vogelherd Cave, Swabian Jura, Germany. It is the oldest known sculpture of a horse. On display at the Museum of Ancient Cultures, at Hohentübingen Castle, Tübingen, Germany.

ALT My photo shows an Upper Paleolithic spear-thrower handle (also known as an atlatl) carved in the form of a crouching animal, viewed in profile with head to left. Its head and neck are extended forward, low to the ground, and its legs are tucked beneath its body. It has a long downward curved tail, the pointed lower end of which ends beneath the body at lower right, forming the hook against which the tail end of the spear rests. It is known as the ‘Creeping hyena’ spear thrower. The ivory is a warm beige colour and is cracked with age in places. The sculpture is mounted on a thin metal support in a museum display case. It was found in La Madeleine rock shelter, Tursac, Dordogne, France. I saw this spear thrower on display at the Pompidou Centre, on loan from the National Prehistory Museum in Les Eyzies-de-Tayac.

ALT My photo shows a famous Iberian limestone sculpture known as ‘La Dama de Elche’ / The Lady of Elche, on display at the National Archaeological Museum in Madrid. Here is a description by the museum: “Female bust that features a lady's face with very perfect features and that preserves traces of polychromy on the lips and specific areas of face and clothing. The lady is richly dressed: on her head she wears a headdress formed by a pointed tiara covered by a veil and on top of it a strap that joins the two side “cases" that frame the face, where the hairstyle and a headband would be collected on the forehead; the back and shoulders are covered with a mantle that forms folds on the front and exposes three necklaces with amphoras and amulet holders; the earrings hang either side of the face, and a small fibula closes the tunic on the neckline. It was richly painted with red, blue and yellow tones and application of gold sheets, of which hardly any traces remain.