Czech archaeologists discover unique prehistoric figure

PRAGUE, May 3 (Xinhua) -- Czech archaeologist Miroslav Popelka and his colleagues discovered a unique bronze clay sculpture during the excavations works at Otrokov village in Zlin, a city in southeastern Moravia.

The discovery was uncovered at the survey site related to the construction of the Czech national D55 motorway at a depth of about two meters. The small statue most likely belongs to the younger Bronze Age period of the so-called Lusatian culture. It is estimated to be roughly 3,200 years old.

This is the first such significant archaeological finding for the country, Popelka said. The figure is about 12 cm high and resembles a male shape. Some parts of it are broken; the nose, however, is well indicated. In the center of the body there is a bronze decoration.

"It is certainly a breakthrough!" Popelka said, adding that while female figures are quite typical for various periods of the Stone Age, the discovery of a male statue is in fact an extraordinary occasion.

The sculpture is now at the laboratory and is expected to be exposed at the museum of southeast Moravia in Zlin, said Jana Langova from the museum's archaeological department.

The archaeologists also discovered a number of ceramic pots, bronze axes, and other small objects. The research will continue until the summer. Enditem