If Treasures Could Talk: What would China's ancient Human Head Pottery Jar say?

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Today we present the first episode of our special series, "If treasures could talk."

The series features some of the most remarkable ancient treasures in China. Today, it's the Human Head Pottery Jar, which is over 6,000 years old.

You have a new message from an ancient treasure... You come from the soil. Your eyes are raised, gazing at the sky… 6,000 years have passed. In that time, we have survived, multiplied and evolved. But we’re still trying to find sense in it all.

This head-shaped red clay jar dates from 6,000 to 6,500 years ago. It was a product of Yangshao Culture, made at the dawn of the Neolithic Era, when humans began to polish stone, domesticate animals, farm, and form tribes.

Producing pottery was humanity's first attempt at artistic creation.

Using only their hands, they combined clay and water. By applying fire, they achieved a physical transformation of the mixture.

Through pottery, humans revealed their creative ability. Their minds became more open, and they began to imagine birth as the coming of light, and death, as encroaching darkness.

Reflecting on life and death, they became more introspective. They imbued the heavy clay with the deeper questions they were asking themselves.

The depiction of human figures marked the artistic awakening of many ancient civilizations. It’s just one of millions of perplexed faces abandoned in the earth. It's hard to tell the gender, but the up-turned lips suggest the innocence of a child.

The jar’s wide, round belly is also suggestive of the plumpness of a woman’s form, and hints at her reproductive capability.