Weird News: Mystery Artifact Pre-Dating Egypt Goes on Public Display
Tuesday, March 29, 2011
The Starving of Saqqara is a curious sculpture, possibly pre-dating Egypt, that first surfaced in the 1940s. The sculpture shows two gaunt figures entwined, rendered in a ghostly whiteness. The piece is protected by Concordia University, which has sought a solution to the mystery for decades. This public exhibition is the latest attempt to drum up attention and support for giving the figures greater scrutiny.
While the likeliest origin lays in pre-Dynastic Egypt or outright forgery, more offbeat and chilling suggestions have arisen. Some believe the statue depicts Atlantean refugees. Human sacrifices, famine, and catastrophe in great antiquity draw further speculation as inspirations for the statue. The over-sized heads and gaunt frames are particularly unsettling.
Ancient civilizations coughing up the odd relic have frequently appeared in weird fiction, with horrific results. The Starving of Saqqara is a fear given form, showing what idols from Lovecraft's Atlantis, Lemuria, or other nameless cities might look like. Those moaning faces and unnatural bodies suggest a macabre secret best forgotten by time's merciful ignorance.
The mystery surrounding the statue is reminiscent of the untamed niche centered around Out of Place Artifacts. See Michael A. Cremo's book, Forbidden Archeology, for a full look at the strangeness surrounding humanity's deep past. Whether or not one dismisses Cremo's claims as pseudo-science, they're great exhibits for falling headfirst into a long tradition of weird, Fortean oddities.
-Grim Blogger
