Five prehistoric clay puppets with revolving heads have been discovered in El Salvador, a country in central America. In addition to the exquisite workmanship that went into their creation, the ancient figurines were noteworthy for the setting they were in: atop the largest pyramid at the enigmatic site of San Isidro.
This incredible discovery suggests the people of El Salvador were more integrated into the wider Mesoamerican world than previously thought, according to a study published in the journal Antiquity.
The five ceramic figurines, depicting four females and one male, initially seemed to be a part of burial offerings. Researchers found no human remains onsite. Puppets' placement at the highest pyramid suggests they were used for public ceremonies.
"One of the most striking features of the puppets is their dramatic facial expressions, which change depending on the angle we look at them from," Jan Szymanski, an archaeologist at the University of Warsaw and the study's lead author, told Live Science.
The puppets look frightened at eye level, smiling from above and scared from below. "This is a conscious design, perhaps meant to enhance the gamut of ritual performances the puppets could have been used in," Mr Szymanski added.
Three of the five puppets are about one foot (30 cm) tall, while the other two are shorter at 0.6 feet (18 cm) and 0.3 feet (10 cm). The two smaller figures are adorned with "locks of hair on their foreheads and earspools in the lobes." The three bigger sculptures are shown nude and without hair or jewellery.
According to archaeologists, the bigger figurines, which resemble contemporary toy dolls with moveable heads and open mouths, would have been used in a theatrical scene or tableau to tell tales or deliver messages from "readily decodable events, mythical or real," that are now lost. It was unclear if these puppets were based on real people.
In addition to the five complete sculptures, the archaeologists also discovered figure pieces across the excavation site.
Such ceramic figures have only been discovered in their original position twice, and this is "the first to feature a male figure," according to Szymanski. In 2012, six intact but damaged female figurines were discovered by other researchers at a burial site in the mountains of western Guatemala. These figures were made between 350 and 100 BC, the late Middle Preclassical era.
This is only the second time ceramic figurines like these have been found in the original location, and "the first to feature a male figure," Mr Szymanski said. Earlier, in 2012, researchers discovered six intact but shattered female figurines at a burial site in the mountains of western Guatemala.
