Follow Your Bliss

Stone ring fort at the Grianán of Aileach, on the summit of Greenan Mountain, County Donegal, Ireland.

This stone fort is thought to have been constructed during the 8th or 9th century as the seat of Cenél nEógain, rulers of the ancient kingdom of Aileach. This monument however evidently had far earlier origins, surrounding the stone fort are the remains of an earlier hill fort, which was likely constructed approximately 1000 BCE. A small Neolithic or Early Bronze Age stone cairn is also nearby.

The Dogū figures of the Jōmon period of prehistoric Japan.

Around 10,000 BCE, a culture and pottery type called Jōmon emerged in Japan, and is among the earliest pottery in the world.

The Jomon period, which encompasses a great expanse of time, constitutes Japan’s Neolithic period. Its name is derived from the “cord markings” that characterize the ceramics made during this time. Jomon people were semi-sedentary, living mostly in pit dwellings arranged around central open spaces, and obtained their food by gathering, fishing, and hunting.

All Jomon pots were made by hand, without the aid of a wheel, the potter building up the vessel from the bottom with coil upon coil of soft clay. As in all other Neolithic cultures, women produced these early potteries. (x)

One particularly notable feature of Jōmon pottery is the emergence of the remarkable ceramic Dogū figures. These mysterious prehistoric Japanese masterpieces were produced in large numbers -approximately 15,000 have been rediscovered according to the National Museum of Japanese History. These figures typically date to the Middle and Late Jomon periods (2500 BCE to 1000 BCE), and are generally thought to have had religious or ritual significance. 

There are various styles of Dogū figures, some of which are often categorized into: ‘heart shaped types’, ‘google-eyed types’, ‘pregnant woman types’, and ‘horned-owl types’. To see some examples of these different types, you can check out the photos from the British Museum exhibit: the power of dogu: ceramic figures from ancient Japan.

The ziggurat of Dur-Kurigalzu, Baghdad, Iraq. This ziggurat was built in the 14th century BCE by Kassite king Kurigalzu.

Indus Valley Culture statuette from Mehrgarh, Period VII, c. 2800-2600 BC

Terracotta statuette of a seated naked and a stylized female (mother goddess?) with child.

The oldest ceramic figurines in South Asia were found at Mehrgarh. They occur in all phases of the settlement and were prevalent even before pottery appears. The earliest figurines are quite simple and do not show intricate features. However, they grow in sophistication with time and by 4000 BC begin to show their characteristic hairstyles and typical prominent breasts. All the figurines up to this period were female. Male figurines appear only from period VII and gradually become more numerous. Many of the female figurines are holding babies, and were interpreted as depictions of the “mother goddess”. However, due to some difficulties in conclusively identifying these figurines with the “mother goddess”, some scholars prefer using the term “female figurines with likely cultic significance.”

Merhgahr is one of the most important Neolithic (7000 BC to c. 2500 BC) sites in archaeology. It lies on the Kacchi Plain of Balochistan, Pakistan. It is one of the earliest sites with evidence of farming and herding in South Asia. Mehrgarh is located near the Bolan Pass, to the west of the Indus River valley and between the Pakistani cities of Quetta, Kalat and Sibi.

More about Mehrgarh

Temple of Adonis, Faqra, Lebanon

It is believed that Romans used Faqra as a signal post to communicate via fire signals over the Lebanese mountains from the coast to Baalbeck or Heliopolis.