The Ain Sakhri lovers is one of the most well-known discoveries surfacing from the Natufian culture. It is also, probably, the oldest depiction of a couple having sex, that has been found so far. The small sculpture, which can be seen today in the British Museum, London, is made out of stone and it is 102 mm high. Presumably, the statuette was created in 9000 BC and was discovered in the Ain Sakhri caves, whose name it bares, in Wadi Khareitoun, near Bethlehem.
In 1933, the figurine of the two lovers was identified by Pene Neuville, a prehistorian and French consul, while he was looking through the findings of the French Fathers of Bethlehem, in a small museum. Getting to the caves, with the help of the Bedouin who found that statuette, was the next move. Excavation and researches started immediately on the location. The searches demonstrated that the caves were inhabited by a Natufian community.
The Ain Sakhri lovers is a symbol of the Natufian culture and of the arts of those times. Although it is very small and it lacks detailed structures, it is considered to be one of the most inspired findings of this kind, due to the fact that it is cleverly carved. The sexual image of the sculpture has been often associated with other elements, such as male and female reproductive organs. Either way, it is a witty combination that showcases human passion in multiple ways. Fertility and love are the main symbols associated with this Natufian culture representation.
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