Scarlet Nymph Designs

@scarletnymph.bsky.social

Maker of paint, jewelry, and sparkles; witchy person; lover of cats. www.ScarletNymph.com https://youtube.com/@scarletnymph5175?si=bCyNVL0z3T7A5ljG

Smile, it’s Friday! 😃 Meet ‘The Oldest Smile in the World’ a tiny face that’s been smiling for some 7,400 years! Carved from oak during the Mesolithic, this small human figure was found in 1966 in a layer of peat during dock construction at Willemstad in the Netherlands. #FindsFriday #Archaeology

My photo shows a human figure roughly carved from dark brown oak wood during the Mesolithic period about 5,400-5,300 BC. It is 12.5 cm tall with a long body with two finger-shaped indents on the right hand side (left in my photo), suggesting it was made to be held in the hand. The stylized head has deeply carved eyes, nose, and open mouth. The triangular shape of the mouth makes it look as if the figure is smiling, leading to its description as ‘The oldest smile in the world’. It is displayed against a black display case background at Landesmuseum Halle in Germany where the figure is currently on loan for the ‘Shamaness’ exhibition. It is part of the permanent collections of Rijksmuseum van Oudheden, Leiden, Netherlands. It was found in a layer of peat in 1966 during the construction of a dock at Willemstad, North Brabant, Netherlands.