Lydenburg heads

Lydenburg is located in the eastern transvaal of South Africa which is around 214 miles from Johanessburg. Here is where seven heads made out of terracotta pottery were discovered as well as other pottery artifacts. They were discovered by a young boy named Ludwig Von Benzing who was playing on his fathers farm. He did not think much of it but as he got older, her grew an interest in archaeology and went back to the site. He went back in both 1962 and 1966 to excavate the area and during this time he was able to find seven heads made from pottery, two of which can fit over a child's head; another resembles an animal which is the only one out of the seven that does so. Along with the heads were iron and copper beads and bone fragments. Radio carbon dating puts these artifacts at around 1500 years old. Buried at 500 AD, they're considered the oldest known African Iron Age artworks from below the equator.

Artifacts

The reconstructed heads have allowed us to see the preciseness of artistry even though they aren't exactly how they were 1500 years ago. They characteristics of the heads and faces easily resemble the structure of humans. The appearance of rings around they're necks with a linear pattern of lines throughout them is perceived to be a sign of prosperity or wealth, due to neck rings being used this way symbolically throughout time. Out of the seven, only two are big enough to have been worn but the size isn't the only difference between them. These two are the only ones with small animal figurines perceived to be lions mounted on top of them. The other five are all more closely a like each other in size and appearance with the exception of one. This head is the only head that seems to resemble something other than a human. It has a long snout instead of regular protruding lips and also has no ears. Other things found at the site were scarcely documented due to the significance of the seven heads. However, we do know that the fragments of pottery found were also members of the terracotta family.

Reasoning Behind Them

The most logical and speculated reason why these people created them is for rituals, ceremonies or some type of initiation. The two biggest ones could of been worn by a smaller person so it could possibly be for a significant point in a young mans life such as the becoming of a man or to idolize an ancestor. The other five all have holes in sides of them which leads archaeologists to believe they were connected to something else at the time of use. However some people believe that the marks across the foreheads and between the eyes are that of sacrificial marks and others think that the heads may not have been just disposed of but purposely buried. This may have been for ceremonial purposes or to even celebrate their ancestors. This is all speculation of course and we will never really know what they were exactly used for. The heads still remain a huge feat in South African art.

References

Metropolitan Museum of Art [1]

Tim Maggs, Patricia Davidson (UCLA James S. Coleman African Studies Center) [2]

Mysterious Creators of Lydenburg Heads [3]