A natufian mask-face figurine: An insight into the nature of the supernatural being

The Natufian artistic manifestations were recognized as unique phenomena in the archaeological record of the Levant. The sudden rise in the scope and number of these manifestations was ascribed to the particular nature of the Natufian culture (ca. 15-11,500 years ago) representing the last hunter-gatherers, heralding the era of succeeding full-fledged agricultural communities. A cross-disciplinary approach adjusting methods inherent in the discipline of art-history with traditional archaeological research shed a new light on the Natufian art. This approach implies inductive analysis beginning with a formal description of one work of art. Then, style analysis and investigation of the content are conducted by grouping other works of art according to observed artistic qualities. These bodies of comparisons generate new questions for exploration. Thus, an analysis of one piece of art enables us to contend with both more works of art and greater issues. We will present the case of an anthropomorphic figurine from the Natufian site of Eynan, Israel. Following its formal description, it will be compared to other art pieces; these bodies of comparison are hierarchically ordered from the closest to the most general, i.e. comprising works of art from the same site (Eynan), the Natufian art corpus at large, the European Upper Paleolithic art corpus and the universal artistic qualities of masks. The initial result of this case analysis is identification of Natufian visual languages, i.e. shared artistic qualities and visual conventions across various media and sites. The identification of the subject as a double image composed of two categories: human and animal, entailed assembling another body of comparison, and a discussion of the different ways in which a similar subject is represented. These steered the discourse on representation of the supernatural and related socio-religious institutions. Finally, the identification of generic qualities of a specific category of art the masks, opens yet another venue for a higher level of interpretation, based on universal attributes of masks creation. The various lines of evidence suggest an interpretation of the Eynan figurine as a mask-like representation of a spirit. Thus the components of the image divulged through this study can contribute greatly to our comprehensive understanding of the image and its function. These conclusions may provide new insights on topics pertaining to the material creation of a new spiritual being, as well as on the social structure and ritual systems that supported the 'creation' of such an image. We may also ask: what was the role of this image and related socio-cultural mechanisms in the transformations from Paleolithic to Neolithic lifeways?.