At least one strange clay figurine from the Stone Age has been unearthed by archaeologists in Kuwait, at the prehistoric settlement of Bahra 1. It is a 7,000-year-old figurine with very special features such as slanted eyes, a flat nose and an elongated skull, which are reminiscent of today’s depictions of aliens.

The joint research team from Kuwait and Poland found the statuette in one of the oldest settlements in the region, which existed from 5,500 to 4,900 BC.

But while the figurine may seem more supernatural than human, its style was common in ancient Mesopotamia.

However, it is the first of its kind ever found in Kuwait or the Arabian Gulf.

Others with a similar appearance have been discovered at Mesopotamian sites and are associated with the Neolithic Ubaid community, who settled in the Arabian Gulf during the 6th millennium BC.

“The discovery of the figurine was a complete surprise for the whole team,” Agnieszka Simczak, the mission leader, told Live Science. In fact, the fact that it is made of Mesopotamian clay, as opposed to the crude red clay vessels that were common in the region, reinforces the theory that the region was a crossroads of cultural exchanges.

What is the reason for the “alien” look

Although the exact meaning of the figurine remains unknown, some experts speculate that the elongated skull may be related to the head mutilation practiceswhich in the 5th millennium BC, was a sign of social class or identity in Ubaid culture.

In fact, such practices have also been identified in the bones of Mesopotamian skeletons that have been excavated.

“The presence of this figurine at the archaeological site raises interesting questions about its purpose and the symbolic, perhaps ritualistic significance it may have had for the inhabitants of the prehistoric settlement,” University of Warsaw professor Piotr Bieliński said, according to the Daily Mail .