Lydenburg Heads

     Lydenburg Heads were created 500 A.D.  They were created and found in Lydenburg, Mpumalanga, South Africa. They are currently in Iziko South Africa Museum, Cape Town. They were hollow heads awarded to President Mbeki. The 7 heads were founded by Karl von Bezing.   The group of seven earthenware heads were named after the site where they were discovered in east Transvaal of South Africa. Radiocarbon dating of charcoal samples from excavation of this site has established that the heads were buried there around 500 A.D. This makes them the oldest Iron Age African artworks from below the equator. The reconstructed heads are not identical at all. 
2 largest heads

    They also share a number of characteristics such as, scarification (scars) on the forehead, the temples, and between the eyes. The modeled strips of clay form the thinly open over eyes,  also showing detail on the mouths, noses, and ears. They were  raised bands decorating the faces. The back of the seven heads have linear patterns. The necks of the seven heads are defined by large furrowed rings, and the neck rings are represented fat have been and continued to be viewed as a sign of prosperity by many African peoples. Since the heads were made so long ago, it is impossible to tell if that's how they were viewed then.  Two of the largest heads could have been worn like helmet masks. There were some smaller heads by the animal figures posed on their peaks in the small clay spheres that represent the hairlines. All of the figures were made out of terracotta, which is a type of clay. They were also reconstructed with pieces of terracotta. 

1 of 7 heads

Department of the Arts of Africa, Oceania, and the Americas. “Lydenburg Heads (ca. 500 A.D.).” In Heilbrunn Timeline of Art History. New York: The Metropolitan Museum of Art, 2000–. http://www.metmuseum.org/toah/hd/lyde/hd_lyde.htm (October 2000) 

Comments

  1. Lily EdgingtonDecember 13, 2020 at 9:39 PM

    I found your post to be very informing and enjoyable to read. I think the heads are very interesting and I can't help but wonder if they were created for a specific reason or if they were meant to be used in some type of ceremony.

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