A mysterious treasure from the dawn of Western civilization, this stone votive was offered thousands of years ago at the shrine of a powerful god. With a cache of related artifacts, it was discovered along the shores of Lake Van in Turkey. The deity whose favor it sought was apparently a nature god, associated also with fertility and rebirth. This superb statue depicts a standing votary, carved in an elegantly simple fashion. His head, when seen in profile, becomes the body of a bird. In this ancient cult, the bird seems associated with the idea of the soul, perhaps a transformation in the afterlife. The image engraved on the bottom of the votive depicts a seated idol. Pressed into soft wax or clay, it would have produced multiple images to please the heavens. The effect of this rare sculpture is powerful and haunting. It touches a chord deep in the soul, something ancient but not completely forgotten.