Tiny songbird is East Asia's 'oldest' carved artwork

A handout photo shows a tiny bird sculpted out of burnt bone in China around 13,500 years ago, which is the oldest known figurine from the region, according to researchers who discovered it in an old refuse heap near an archaeological site at Lingjing in north central Henan province. Photo: AFP

A miniature bird sculpted out of burnt bone in China around 13,500 years ago is the oldest known figurine from East Asia, according to researchers who discovered it in a refuse heap near an archaeological site.

The carefully crafted depiction of a songbird on a pedestal - smaller than an almond kernel - was found among burnt animal remains and fragments of ceramics at Lingjing in north central Henan province, an area thought to have been home to some of China's earliest civilisations.