600–1000
Bone
Overall: 7.1 x 2.1 cm (2 13/16 x 13/16 in.)
Severance and Greta Millikin Purchase Fund 2017.58
Spear throwers, also called atlatls, use leverage to propel a spear faster and farther.
This object was lashed to a spear thrower, where it served as a thumb rest or grip. The imagery is suited to the use: a supernatural being throttles a human, turning its head to expose its throat to a knife the being holds in one hand. Thus, the scene captures the crucial moment of an offering likely intended to assure the benevolence of divine forces.
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