Stone idol from the Valdivia Culture of Ancient Ecuador ca 2300-2000 BC. 47 cm. © Artkhade.com.
Wikipedia says about them:
The Valdivia culture is one of the oldest settled cultures recorded in the Americas. It emerged from the earlier Las Vegas culture and thrived on the Santa Elena peninsula near the modern-day town of Valdivia, Ecuador between 3500 BC and 1800 BC.
More from Valdivia and elsewhere:
Valdivia stone idols. © Muzeion. Valdivia flat slab stone in the form of a stylized human figure in the classical style of these pieces that are the earliest and most expressive forms of art from South America and the world. Eye area, neck and feet indicated by wide grooving. Grey/green stone, heavy manganese deposits.
Aerial view of the "Owlman" aka "Astronaut", a geoglyph of the Nazca Lines, which are located in the Nazca Desert in southern Peru. The geoglyphs of this UNESCO World Heritage Site (since 1994) are spread over a 80 km (50 mi) plateau between the towns of Nazca and Palpa. CC-BY-SA, by Diego Delso via Wikimedia Commons.
Maya. painted stucco. height 12 cm. A trio of owls. May be a reference to the messenger owls of the Popol Vuh. Said to have come from Yucatan. Photographs © Justin Kerr via mayavase.com.
Sculpture,owl, 26 × 17 cm. From Algeria. © lessingimages.com. The source places it between 3rd and 2nd millenium BCE.
Stone idol at Xico Viejo, Mexico. Page 108 “Certain antiquities of eastern Mexico” 1907
Nias Island Megalithic stone figures at Hiligohe and Dahana sites, Indonesia.
By Tara Steimer-Herbet
The valley’s rice paddies are scattered with mysterious ancient megaliths. Locals call this one “Palindo”—"the entertainer". Bada Valley, Sulawesi, Indonesia. © Jackson A. Helms IV. Bada Valley is surrounded by the forested mountains of Lore Lindu National Park.
The sculpture "Ancestress", Lepenski Vir, Serbia. By National Museum in Belgrade © 2016
Kifwebe- Mask like these, from the Luba culture, have specific emotions written on the face that could be used in performance and learning.
Shield from Solomon Islands. Image credit: The Metropolitan Museum of Art. See it on its website.
Date: early to mid-19th century
Geography: Solomon Islands, Possibly New Georgia or Guadalcanal Island, Western province
Culture: Solomon Islands
Medium: Fiber, parinarium-nut paste, chambered-nautilus shell, pigment
Dimensions: H. 33 1/4 × W. 11 × D. 1 1/2 in. (84.5 × 27.9 × 3.8 cm)
Classification: Shell-Implements
Credit Line: The Michael C. Rockefeller Memorial Collection, Gift of Nelson A. Rockefeller, 1972
Accession Number: 1978.412.730
