Latest news with #Szymański
Fox News
12-03-2025
- Science
- Fox News
Archaeologists uncover 'creepy' puppets in odd location: 'This thing almost moved'
Archaeologists digging in Central America recently uncovered strange 2,400-year-old clay puppets in an unexpected place. The discoveries, which were found on top of El Salvador's San Isidro pyramid, were published in an article entitled "Of puppets and puppeteers: Preclassic clay figurines from San Isidro, El Salvador," on Mar. 5. The ancient Mesoamerican puppets date back between 410 and 380 B.C. Pictures show the puppets possessing eerie open-mouthed facial expressions. The largest puppets of the group are around a foot long, and are "naked and devoid of hair or jewelry," while the smallest ones are "modeled with locks of hair on their foreheads and earspools in the lobes," according to the study. Researchers determined that the artifacts were puppets because of the holes in their heads, which string could easily fit through. "The three larger figurines have articulated, adjustable heads, facilitated by conical protrusions on the necks and matching sockets in the base of each head," the study described. "Each socket has two holes drilled through to the top of the head, and each neck protrusion has one horizontal hole and a shallow vertical canal on each side, allowing a string to be passed through the neck and tied on the top of the head." The figurines may have served a variety of purposes, the study argues, including "being, effectively, marionettes or puppets in re-enactments of certain scenes, both static and dynamic." Though the puppets were discovered naked, researchers believe that they once wore costumes, as earrings for similar figurines have been discovered at Mesoamerican sites in the past. One of the researchers, Jan Szymański, told Science that the puppets are even creepier in person. "They are clay actors," the University of Warsaw archaeologist said. "When you hold them in your hand, sometimes they even look creepy because of their vivid expressions." "You shift your gaze just a little bit and it seems like, oof, this thing almost moved." Szymański also noted that the puppets' final resting place at the top of the pyramid suggests that they may have been ritually important. "They can be employed in a variety of different performances before being finally deposited as something really, really special," the researcher said. "I would say a tomb, but we don't have the body." Though researchers are unclear about how exactly the puppets were used, the excavation of the pyramid is still ongoing – and archaeologists are still looking for answers. "Insights may still be revealed regarding the relationship between senders and receivers, offering a glimpse of the 'puppeteers,'" the paper concludes.
National Geographic
12-03-2025
- General
- National Geographic
Who made these unusual ancient ‘puppets'—and left them atop a pyramid?
'On the one hand, the face has this empty, absent look,' Szymański says. The figurine's eyes appeared to stare into the distance and its mouth was open. It seemed aloof, or maybe full of disdain. But its expression seemed to change as the researchers turned its head. At a sharp angle, it looked a bit angry. Viewed from above, it looked perhaps scared. With the fading light, 'we had this weird sensation that we found something eerie,' he says. After four days of excavation, the team had uncovered five clay figurines in a layer dated to 410–380 B.C. How were these figurines used? The heads of each the three large figurines have a socket into which the neck fits. A string threaded through two holes in the top of the head can be used to turn the head. The lack of clothes and jewelry 'may be because they were made to be versatile,' depicting different types of people, Szymański says. Once the team reconstructed the figures' positions in the ground relative to each other, they noticed that, if the figures were standing upright, they would be in a line facing west. That suggested a purposeful arrangement, meant to convey a message, the authors wrote. 'From the very beginning, we saw them as puppets—as actors made of clay,' Szymański says. Other clay figurines have been found in Mesoamerica, a region that includes parts of Mexico and Central America. But most are broken pieces, sometimes in middens, ancient household trash pits. So far, archaeologists have only unearthed one other set of intact figures from the spot they were likely laid to rest.
Yahoo
09-03-2025
- Science
- Yahoo
2,400-year-old puppets with dramatic expressions found atop pyramid in El Salvador
Archaeologists from the University of Warsaw in Poland have made an unusual discovery, after coming across five ancient puppets atop a massive pyramidal complex in El Salvador, dating back to 400 BC. The rare clay figurines, featuring four female figures and one male, are around 2,400 years old and are believed to have played a role in public rituals reenacting both mythical and real events. According to Jan Szymański, an archaeologist at the University of Warsaw and lead author of the study, the puppets were initially thought to be burial offerings, but the lack of human remains at the site suggested otherwise. "One of the most striking features of the puppets is their dramatic facial expression, which changes depending on the angle that we look at them from," Szymański said, highlighting the puppets appear angry at eye level, grinning from above, and scared from below. "This is a conscious design, perhaps meant to enhance the gamut of ritual performances the puppets could have been used in." While three of the puppets are nearly a foot tall, the other two are much smaller, measuring just 0.6 and 0.3 feet. Additionally, the bigger figurines are entirely bare with no hair or jewelry. On the other hand, the smaller ones are more detailed, featuring locks of hair on their foreheads and earspool in their lobes. All of the figurines had open mouths—some even showing visible tongues—while the three largest had detachable heads with small holes in their necks and tops. The discovery also included figurine fragments scattered across the site. Szymański observed that threading a string through these holes would allow the heads to move side to side, creating the illusion of singing, chanting, or speaking- suggesting they may have functioned as ancient marionette-style puppets. While it's uncertain if the figurines depict real people, researchers believe they were designed for theatrical scenes or tableaus, bringing stories and messages to life. The archaeologists opine the smallest figurine's upper half, which fits into a hollow torso, may have been part of a birth reenactment scene. The rare discovery marks only the second time researchers have found ceramic figurines of this kind in their original location, and the first to include a male figure. In 2012, archaeologists uncovered six broken but complete female figurines at a burial site in Guatemala's western highlands from the Middle Preclassic period. The resemblance between the newly discovered figurines and to those found in Guatemala suggests a shared tradition and connections among the region's elites. This is especially significant given that many of El Salvador's artifacts were lost or buried when the Ilopango volcano erupted between 400 and 500 AD, wiping out all life within a 25-mile radius. Due to the volcano's devastation and the present day's dense population limiting excavations, little is known about the identities of those who built ancient settlements before European arrival in the 16th century. However, the current find shows that ancient Salvadoran communities were not isolated. "This discovery contradicts the prevailing notion about El Salvador's cultural backwardness or isolation in the ancient times," concluded Szymański. "It reveals the existence of vibrant and far-reaching communities capable of exchanging ideas with remarkably distant places." The research has been published in the journal Antiquity.
Miami Herald
06-03-2025
- Science
- Miami Herald
2,400-year-old ceramic dolls found on El Salvador pyramid. See their expressive faces
Throughout history, people around the world have attempted to depict the human form. From Neolithic paintings on cave walls to elaborate statues carved from marble, artists have dedicated their lives to trying to replicate the people around them. Artists in Mesoamerica chose to use clay for their depictions before clay was used for things like pottery, researchers said in a March 5 study published in the peer-reviewed journal Antiquity. Now, five of those humanoid figurines from 2,400 years ago were discovered in a surprising location — and with shockingly expressive faces. Polish archaeologists who were excavating a large pyramid in San Isidro, El Salvador, found a collection of items that resembled a funeral deposit but were missing human remains, according to a March 5 Facebook post from Antiquity. With the items were five ceramic figurines dating to around 400 B.C., researchers said. 'This finding is only the second such a group found in situ (where it was left) and the first to feature a male figure,' Jan Szymański, study author and researcher at the University of Warsaw, said in the post. Three figurines have heads that can swivel on their bodies, much like modern-day dolls, researchers said. The bodies of the figurines have a conical protrusion that matches the shape of a socket in the head, according to the study. Holes in the head sockets could then be fitted with a string that tied the head to the body, allowing the head to move around like a doll. Those with the adjustable heads are naked, but the two smaller figures are decorated with hair and earspools in the lobes of their ears, researchers said. 'The size of the larger figurines, along with the ability to move their heads, inevitably provokes an analogy with modern toy dolls. Clay is not a particularly practical material for toys, arguably being more suitable for more hieratic activities,' researchers said. Archaeologists believe that in this case, the figures were likely used in a tableau, and the figures would be placed in certain positions to re-enact scenes or events to convey messages. They were likely used in rituals because of their location on top of the pyramid, researchers said, but what kind of rituals is unknown. 'One of the most striking features of the puppets is their dramatic facial expression, which changes depending on the angle that we look at them from', Szymański said in the post. 'Seen from above they appear almost grinning, but when looked at from the level angle they turn angry or disdainful, to become scared when seen from below. This is a conscious design, perhaps meant to enhance the gamut of ritual performances the puppets could have been used in.' Similar figurines have been found in western El Salvador as well as southern Guatemala, researchers said, and other items found at the same site, like jade pendants, are also found in other parts of Central America. This means the elite of El Salvador likely traded in ritualistic traditions and customs across great distances, contradicting previous beliefs that these communities were isolated, according to Antiquity. 'Little is known about the identities and ethnolinguistic affiliations of the creators of ancient settlements that predate the arrival of Europeans in the early 16th century,' Szymański said in the post. 'This gets worse the further back in time we look.' These figurines and shared styles between groups 'reveals the existence of vibrant and far-reaching communities capable of exchanging ideas with remarkably distant places,' Szymański said in the post. The San Isidro site is in western El Salvador, near the Pacific coast. The research team includes Szymański and Gabriela Prejs.
Yahoo
05-03-2025
- General
- Yahoo
2,400-year-old puppets with 'dramatic facial expression' discovered atop pyramid in El Salvador
When you buy through links on our articles, Future and its syndication partners may earn a commission. Archaeologists have discovered rare, 2,400-year-old puppets in El Salvador that may have been used in public rituals to perform well-known events that were "mythical or real." The finding suggests that the people of El Salvador were more integrated into the wider Central American culture than previously thought, a new study finds. Archaeologists found the five ceramic figurines, depicting four females and one male, on top of a large pyramidal structure in 2022. The unexpected find, reported in the journal Antiquity on Wednesday (March 5), initially appeared to be part of lavish burial offerings. But because the archaeologists found no human remains onsite, the puppets' location at the tallest pyramid at the site instead hints that they were used for public rituals, the archaeologists said. "One of the most striking features of the puppets is their dramatic facial expression, which changes depending on the angle that we look at them from," study lead author Jan Szymański, an archaeologist at the University of Warsaw, said in a statement. At eye-level, the puppets appear angry; from above, they appear to be grinning; from below, they look scared. "This is a conscious design, perhaps meant to enhance the gamut of ritual performances the puppets could have been used in," Szymański said. Three of the five puppets are each nearly 1 foot (30 centimeters) tall, while the others are shorter at 0.6 feet (18 cm) and 0.3 feet (10 cm) in height. The three larger figurines are depicted naked and don't have hair or jewelry, but the two smaller ones are fashioned with "locks of hair on their foreheads and earspools in the lobes," the researchers wrote in the study. The larger figurines have movable heads and open mouths, like modern toy dolls, and may have been used in a theatrical scene or tableau to convey messages or stories from "readily decodable events, mythical or real," that are now lost, the archaeologists wrote. It was unclear whether these figures represent actual individuals. Related: What's hidden inside the ancient Maya pyramids? Apart from the five intact figurines, the archaeologist also found figurine fragments in other parts of the excavation site. The upper part of the smallest figurine from the tableau fits into a hollow torso figure, which the archaeologists speculated could be elements of a birth reenactment scene. This is only the second time that researchers have found ceramic figurines like these in their original location, and "the first to feature a male figure," Szymański said. The first discovery was of six broken but complete female figurines that other archaeologists found in 2012 at a burial site in the western Guatemalan highlands. Those figurines date to the late Middle Preclassical period (350 to 100 B.C.). The El Salvador finds, which date to around 400 B.C. suggest that this kind of puppet may have been used in rituals during the Preclassic (2000 B.C. to A.D. 200) and Classic (A.D. 200 to 900) periods in Central America. Their style and material, similar to those found in Guatemala, suggests a shared tradition and connections between the elites of the time, according to the archaeologists. Image 1 of 3 Three of the five figurines have movable heads with a protrusion and socket allowing for movement. Image 2 of 3 One of the three large figurines depicts a male whose head bears tattoos or scars. Image 3 of 3 The upper body of the smallest figurine fits inside the hollow belly of another figurine discovered nearby at the site. Around A.D. 400 to 500, many of El Salvador's artifacts were lost or buried in volcanic ashes when the Ilopango volcano erupted and unleashed pyroclastic flows — a mixture of volcanic gases, ash and rocks. The massive eruption released 10 times the volume of material as Mount Vesuvius' eruption in Pompeii in A.D. 79 and killed all life within 25 miles (40 kilometers) of the volcano, a 2020 study in the journal PNAS found. Because of the devastation caused by the volcano, as well as the region's high population density today, which limits archaeological digs, "very little is known about the identities and ethnolinguistic affiliations of the creators of ancient settlements that predate the arrival of Europeans in the early 16th century," Szymański said. This lack of evidence led some to believe that El Salvador might not share the same political or social beliefs that neighboring countries had. RELATED STORIES —'Stunning' discovery reveals how the Maya rose up 4,000 years ago —Giant pyramid built by the Maya was made from rock spewed by a volcano —Why did the Maya civilization collapse? But the discovery of the figurines suggests that ancient people in what is now El Slavador had ties with other parts of Central America. Other artifacts found at the El Salvador site, including jade pendants, are similar to those found at archaeological sites in modern-day Nicaragua, Costa Rica and Panama, indicating cultural and trade connections between El Salvador and its neighbors, the researchers found. "This discovery contradicts the prevailing notion about El Salvador's cultural backwardness or isolation in the ancient times," Szymański said. "It reveals the existence of vibrant and far-reaching communities capable of exchanging ideas with remarkably distant places."
