Crafted at least 3,500 years ago, this mysterious piece is widely considered one of the greatest objects from Papua New Guinea. Known as the Ambum Stone—named for its discovery in the Ambum Valley—not much is certain about this en-igmatic sculpture, including what is depicted. While the animal does resemble a baby echidna, differences can be seen on the sculpture, including a ridge running up the center of the head and down to the shoulders and a “belt” below the belly. Believed to be used for ritual purposes, it is possible the stone doesn’t represent a real animal at all, […]
