Museum of the Origins of Man



HUMAN HEADS JOINED THROUGH THE NAPE TO ANIMAL HEADS IN PALEOLITHIC SCULPTURE

The manufacture of human head joined to animal head through the nape is subdivided in 4 phases:
- from 750,000 to 400,000 years (Acheulean and ancient Clactonian),
- from 400,000 to 200,000 years (Acheulean and middle Clactonian),
- from 200,000 to 40,000 years (Acheuleana and recent Clactonian, and Mousterian),
- from 40,000 to 12,000 years (upper Paleolithic),
The typology of the sculptures is constituted from zooanthropomorphic two-faced heads, that is from a human head joined through the nape to a head of animal (Fig. 9.5). The heads does are without neck.
In upper Paleolithic paintings with representations of this type do not exist.
The human heads in every phase of Paleolithic represent the head of the hominids that have produced it, even if in some periods we can consider it as stylistic deformation of the representation,due to the fashion of the time.
In lower Paleolithic the head of animal is constituted from herbivorous mammals. From the Mousterian also heads of felines begin, and in upper Paleolithic also heads of birds.

Fig. 9,1) Zooanthropomorphic lithic sculpture. It represents a head of animal, and a human head, joined through the nape. The head on the left seems a lion; the head on the right seems Homo erectus or a Preneanderthalian. Under the two jaws the silex comes down sharpening. Holding the sculpture at the two extremities with two fingers, we can rotate it, and every expression is looked at better.
The sculpture is worked on the entire surface.
Size: height cm. 7, thickness cm. 4.
Origin: Pescara, Italy.
Material culture: Clactonian or Acheulean, ancient or middle.
Collection Museum of the Origins of Man.

Fig. 9.2) Zooanthropomorphic lithic sculpture. Drawing of lithic sculpture published by W.M NEWTON in 1913. Newton attributed this sculpture to a mammal head. In my opinion, this drawing is not sufficient for giving a judgment.In any case, with the typology of which we are in possession, we interpret on the left a head of mammal, and on the right a head of hominid.
Size: lenght cm. 13.
Origin: perhaps South England or France of the North.
Material culture: probably Clactonian or middle Acheulean.

Fig. 9.3) Zooanthropomorphic lithic sculpture. It represents a head of animal (on the left), and a head of hominid (on the right). The stylistic deformation has been defined " lengthened horizontal style ", joined to the abolition, in the representation, of every particular of the face of the hominid and of the snout of the animal. We can conclude it having studyied the variations of the anthropomorphic and zooanthropomorphic sculptures of lengthened horizontal type. This sculpture has the maximum stylistic deformation in this direction. It is an extremely elegant style.
The sculpture is in green stone, and has a light fluitation from tumbling, which is not disfigurant.
Size: cm. 10.
Origin: old alluviums of the Torrent Scrivia, Tortona, Alessandia, Italy.
Material culture: Clactonian or middle or recent Acheulean.
Collection Museum of the Origins of Man.

Fig. 9.4) Two-faced zooanthropomorphic sculpture. It represents a head of hominid (A) joined through the nape to a mammal head (side B).The style is of lengthened horizontal type. In spite of the stylistic deformation, the head of the hominid can be interpreted like Homo erectus or a Preneanderthalian.
Size: lenght cm.12,1; eight cm. 6.2; widht cm. 4,8. weight Kg.0.460.
Origin: Torre in Pietra, Roma, Italy.
Material culture or middle or recent Acheulean.
Collection Museum of the Origins of Man.
See: " A two-faced zooanthropomorphic lithic sculpture of the evolued Acheulean of Rome-Torre in Pietra interpreted through the typology of the sculptures" by P.Gaietto, in the Paleolithic Art Magazine, 2001, that contains also six photographies of the sculpture view from every side.
Fig. 9,5) Two-faced zooanthropomorphic sculpture. It represents a head of hominid (Side A) joined through the nape to a mammal head (Side B).
Size: widht cm. 9,2; height cm. 5,8; thickness cm. 5,5. weight Kg. 0,300.
Origin: Rodi Garganico, Foggia, Italy.
Collection Museum of the Origins of Man.
An analysis on this sculpture in 22 parts, with six photographies from every side, titled: "A two-faced lithic zooanthropomorphic sculpture of the evolued Acheulean of Rome-Torre in Pietra interpreted through the typology of the sculptures" by P.Gaietto, is published in Paleolithic Art Magazine, 2001.

Fig. 9,6) Two-faced zooanthropomorphic sculpture. It represents a human head (left side) joined through the nape to one mammal head (right side). The human head can be attributed to Homo sapiens neanderthalensis, through the typology of the lateral profile of the head, generally as it is represented in sculpture.
The head of the animal has been attributed to the moufflon, or in any case to an ovine or bovine with coming down horns. This consideration is based on the representation of the horns between the two heads; in fact the two heads are worked from every part. This part of the nodule of silex in relief has been left, to represent the horns exactly. This is an unique type. In the typology of the Paleolithic, rarity is not a quality, but a defect for the research. Animal is looking up; however we cannot exclude that it is an artistic hybrid man-animal . It is a work that must be studied ulteriorly.
Size: cm. 7
Origin: Rodi Garganico, Foggia, Italy.
Material culture: Mousterian.
Collection Museum of the Origins of Man.

Fig. 9,7) Two-faced zooanthropomorphic sculpture. It represents a human head (left side) joined through the nape to a bird head (right side).The dimensions of the head of the bird is more great that in truth, since are equal to those of the man, who, also, is represented in smaller dimensions that in truth. The style abolishes the particulars of the human face, but is realistic in the representation of the head of the bird. The man seems a Sapiens sapiens, while the bird seems a real sea-gull;an eye is recorded as a diamond, not visible in photography,therefore it has been outlined. The human head in the opposite part is flat, while the head of the bird is worked frontally, and from every side, also under the spout.
Size: lenght cm. 30,
Origin: Vesima, Genoa, Italy. (Vesima is a mountain zone on the shore of the Mediterranean Sea).
Material culture: upper Paleolithic.

Fig. 9,8) Two-faced zooanthropomorphic sculpture. It represents a head of mammal (on the left) joined through the nape to a human head (on the right). The human type has forehead and chin, therefore it can be attributed to Homo sapiens sapiens. The style aims to the horizontal lengthening. The sculpture is well modeled, while the eye is gained from a deep recording that divides the two heads. The stone is steatite. The photo down is a lateral sight, while the photo up corresponds to a view from up.
Size: cm. 4
Origin: Grotta dei fanciulli, Balzi Rossi, Grimaldi, Imperia, Italy.
Material culture: upper Paleolithic.
Museum of Prehistory of the Principuté de Monaco.

Fig. 9.9) Two-faced zooanthropomorphic sculpture. It represents half human head (on the left) joined to half head of feline (on the right), with frontal look. It has been discovered in a cavern closed for millennia. It was in front of an altar with sacrifical offering . This altar is constituted from a squared monolith of the weight of nearly 1.000 kg., carried purposely in the cavern. This cavern is the most ancient " temple " known with " idol ", that is this sculpture. This monolith and the sculpture testifie the affinity betusen the makers of two-faced sculptures and the makers of anthropomorpic menhirs. Sculpture has been discovered by Prof. Leslie Freeman of the University of Chicago, and by other archeologists from Spain.
Size: height cm. 30.
Origin: Cavern of El Juyo, Santander, Spain.
Absolute dating: 14.000 years.
Museum of Altamira, Spain.

Fig. 9.10) Two-faced zooanthropomorphic sculpture. It represents a human head with body (on the left) applied to the head of a mammal (on the left, frontal view). The head of the mammal is worked from the two parts; and in the posterior view it has a deep recording, that divides the two images.
A similar human figure has been found at Rossiglione (Fig. 5,42).
Size: height cm. 5.
Origin: palo, S.Pietro d' Olba, Savona, Italy.
Material culture: upper Paleolithic.
Collection Museum of the Origins of Man.

Fig. 9,11) Two-faced zooanthropomorphic sculpture. It represents a human head (on the left) joined through the nape to a head of animal (on the right). The style is of extreme realism, and represents a suffering expression. Eyes and nose are in relief, and also the features of the cheek, that seems a grimace (frontal view A) are well represented.
Size: height cm. 7.
Origin: Vado Ligure, Savona, Italy.
Material culture: upper Paleolithic.
Collection Museum of the Origins of Man.


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