A mysterious image of a human face has been discovered carved in stone in Kazakhstan.
The remarkable find was made by employees of the Regional Emergency Situations Department during routine checks in the Sandyktau district.
Nursultan Ashkenov and Akhmet Zaripov noticed a stone half-buried in the earth and when they brushed away the dirt, a face appeared, as reported by What’s The Jam.
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The artefact was engraved with such diligent detail that they called in archaeologists from Astana to inspect it.
Experts believe the stone carving is the work of an ancient sculptor.
Some suggest it dates back to the Bronze Age, a historical period lasting from approximately 3300 to 1200 BC.
It was a time characterised by the use of bronze, the use of writing in some areas, and other features of early urban civilisation.
Sergey Yarygin, a leading scientist at the Alley Margulan Institute, told The Astana Times: “Discoveries like this are incredibly rare.
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“Similar carvings have been found in Bronze Age settlements in Central Asia and Eastern Europe.
“And in early Iron Age sites in southern Siberia and medieval Turkic cultures across the Eurasian steppes.”
But the exact origin of the face is still a mystery.
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The stone carving is now under the protection of the local heritage authorities and has been reported to both the regional Department of Emergency Situations and the local history museum.
According to Mr Yarygin, the finding is expected to draw more scholarly attention and may prompt further archaeological investigations in the area.
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