Ancient owl carvings from the Iberian Peninsula were likely toys that children carved themselves.
Thousands of years ago, children from the Iberian Peninsula carved pieces of slate into the shape of owls, creating palm-sized toys to play with, a new study suggests. Originally, archaeologists thought the cartoonlike figures were sacred objects representing deities, used only in rituals. But a new study reveals that they also could have served as children's toys or amulets.
"My first impression when looking at the engravings was that they were simple to make," Juan J. Negro , the study's lead author and a biologist in the Department of Evolutionary Ecology at the CSIC, told Live Science."[The carvers] didn't invest a lot of time or skills into making them, and they could be finished in a few hours."
Negro said he doesn't have an explanation for that, but"owls were a common sighting — even today in urban areas." At that time, the two most abundant owl species in that part of the world would have included the little owl and the long-eared owl , according to the study. To test this theory, Negro and his team asked a group of modern-day children to draw images of owls, and the resulting artwork looked eerily similar to the ancient carvings.RELATED STORIES—Stone Age child may have been buried with a wolf—Ice Age children frolicked in 'giant sloth puddles' 11,000 years ago, footprints reveal
Canada Latest News, Canada Headlines
Similar News:You can also read news stories similar to this one that we have collected from other news sources.
U.S. to boost spending on tribal lands, protect Nevada sacred siteThe Biden administration will give Native American tribes more say in managing federal and tribal lands as part of a plan that includes assistance for tribes whose land has been harmed by climate change, the White House said on Wednesday.
Read more »
Biden commits to protect Nevada site sacred to Native Americans'When it comes to Spirit Mountain and the surrounding ridges and canyons, I'm committed to protecting this sacred place that is central to the creation story of so many tribes that are here today,' Biden tells a summit of tribal leaders.
Read more »
Avi Kwa Ame, sacred to tribes in 3 states, could soon become a national monumentPresident Joe Biden said he supports the creation of a new national monument on land held sacred by many tribes in Arizona, Nevada and California.
Read more »
Biden: Nevada site sacred to tribes to be national monumentLAS VEGAS (AP) — President Joe Biden told a gathering of tribal leaders in Washington on Wednesday that he intends to designate an area considered sacred by area Native Americans in southern Nevada as a new national monument.
Read more »
Biden: Nevada site sacred to tribes to be national monumentPresident Joe Biden says he intends to designate a broad rugged mountain area considered sacred by area Native Americans in southern Nevada as a new national monument
Read more »