Discovered: East Asia’s ‘oldest’ carved artwork
A miniature bird sculpted out of burnt bone in China around 13,500 years ago is the oldest known figurine from East Asia, according to researchers who discovered it in a refuse heap near an archaeological site.
The carefully crafted depiction of a songbird on a pedestal smaller than an almond kernel was found among burnt animal remains and fragments of ceramics at Lingjing in north central Henan province, an area thought to have been home to some of China’s earliest civilisations. The figurine is the “oldest known carving from East Asia”, said Francesco D’errico of the University of Bordeaux, who co-authored the research published in the journal PLOS One on Wednesday. “It shows that in this region sculpture starts at least 13,500 years ago, and fills in a gap in our knowledge about the origin of art in this vast region,” he said.
The tiny carving was discovered by lead author Zhanyang Li of Shandong University, who has been excavating parts of the Lingjing site since 2005.
Digging in the area had already revealed 11 distinct layers, ranging in age from 120,000 years ago to the Bronze Age.
Most of the fifth layer had been removed during a well-digging operation in 1958, and disposed of at a refuse heap nearby. That dumping area was still intact years later, and when the authors sifted through the soil they found several artefacts, including pottery shards, burned animal remains and the bird figurine.
That dumping area was still intact years later. When the authors sifted through the soil they found artefacts, including pottery shards, burned animal remains and the bird figurine.
The carving is just 19.2 millimetres long, 5.1 mm wide and 12.5mm high. Researchers were unable to use radiocarbon dating on the bird itself because the process would have damaged it. But they dated similar bones found with it, including one gouged using the same technique.
A new college established in the University of Oxford in 2019 has been named ‘Reuben College’ following a £80 million donation from a foundation of the Reuben brothers, David and Simon, who were born in Mumbai and went on to build a business empire across the globe.
Figuring annually at the top of the UK rich-list, the brothers have major interests in real estate and metals. Their activities include business links with groups in India such as Sahara, as well as philanthropic and education-related activities in the UK and elsewhere.
Calling the donation a ‘transformational gift’, the university said on Thursday that the college’s initial research themes are: Artificial Intelligence and Machine Learning; Environmental Change; and Cellular Life, which includes work in understanding Covid-19.
The Reubens’ gift expands the Reuben Scholarship Programme, which was established in 2012 for disadvantaged undergraduate students, the university said, adding that the college is preparing to recruit its first cohort of graduate students in September.
Louise Richardson, Oxford vice-chancellor, said: “Thanks to the extraordinary generosity of the Reuben family, Reuben College will join the storied ranks of Oxford Colleges. For generations to come, the lives of young people will be transformed as they learn to engage in research that pushes at the frontiers of knowledge”.
The college is located in a suite of buildings on the Radcliffe Science Library site. The buildings are currently undergoing refurbishment to create a central site for students. Some of the space will be shared with the library and the university’s museums.
A university release quoted the Reuben family as saying: “We hope that this endowment for the Reuben College will help keep Oxford University at the global forefront of research in the vital areas of Environmental Change, AI and Machine Learning and Cellular Life, thereby helping to improve the lives of millions of people long into the future.”
According to college president Lionel Tarassenko, it was launched last year with a focus on the three themes of artificial intelligence, environmental change and cellular life.
The donation will now enable it to envisage a future that includes more cross-cutting research themes and offer richer engagement opportunities for academics, graduate students and the community, he added.