Russian Shigir Idol dated to 9000 BC
Posted On: Sep 7th, 2015 at 13:12
Russia
The Shigir Idol, found over a hundred years ago and first dated to 7500 BC, is now thought to be 11,000 years old.
The new date of 9000 BC has been obtained using a mass spectrometer. Radiocarbon dating is notoriously inaccurate the older an item is, and certainly dendrochronology was out of the question for this particular piece of stunning artwork.
The Shigir Idol is the oldest wooden sculpture in the world. It’s haunting appearance and height of 17 feet must have left anyone who encountered it both in fear and in awe. I think it still looks pretty spooky today, and even more so with a lot of fears and myths removed from our consciousness.
