Yia sas from Cyprus! I’m excited to write about this prompt, and I’m going to start with a picture:

These are found in gift shops, family stalls, and museums all over Cyprus.

What do you think this is? Answer: it’s a human figurine from ancient Cyprus! Most of these figurines were made with clay, which can be found around the island. As Cyprus became more of a trading hub, materials like Bronze and marble became more widely used, and the popularity of these figures stayed the same. This kind of art is integral to the people of the island and Cypriot culture.

This is so interesting because archeologists have found variations of this figurine from roughly 11,000 years ago — when civilization was first noted on the island! The interactions between natural resources and our own human art history is impressive and remarkable!