Tell Brak Head
prehistoric sculpture from Tell Brak
The Tell Brak Head is an important prehistoric Middle Eastern sculpture found at the ancient site of Tell Brak in Syria. It has been part of the British Museum's collection since 1939. Dated by archaeologists to before 3300 BC, it is considered to be one of the oldest portrait busts from the Middle East.
Discovery
The sculpture was discovered during excavations in the late 1930s carried out by the eminent British archaeologist Sir Max Mallowan at Tell Brak, north eastern Syria. It was found in the so-called Eye Temple, where a large number of offerings to the gods had accumulated over time. The temple, built around 3500–3300 BC, was named for the hundreds of small alabaster eye idol figurines, which were incorporated into the mortar with which the mud-brick temple was constructed. Many of the more important idols had been robbed in antiquity, but this stone head was uncovered inside a tunnel underneath the remains of earlier temples, that had been used by robbers in ancient times.
Description
The Tell Brak Head is carved from gypsum (it was also previously described as alabaster) and appears to wear a head-dress. The face is elongated with large almond shaped eyes, circular ears and a small, smiling mouth. It has been difficult to determine whether the figure represents a deity or worshipper.
This brief starts where responsible research should: with the source description of “Tell Brak Head” as prehistoric sculpture from Tell Brak. Everything that follows is an evidence route, not borrowed authority.
Why this record matters
The subject matters to the arts & letters register because the source frames it as prehistoric sculpture from Tell Brak. Its deeper value depends on whether names, dates, institutions and citations support that framing.
Object files, edition statements, performance records and contemporary criticism preserve different stages of the work’s history. The source revision retrieved here is dated Jan 1, 2026. The linked authority identifier is Q20054106. None of the 0 selected statements returned an explicit reference. The first chronological checks are 1939.
Later fame can flatten the distinction between original context, subsequent adaptation and institutional collecting history. The lead is largely declarative, so disagreement and counter-evidence require a deliberate search beyond the opening account. Authority statements aid reconciliation but still require their own references, qualifiers and ranks to be checked.
How to read it
Separate the work, its editions or performances, and its later reception. Catalogue records, publication histories and object files often preserve different parts of that story.
- Identifying works and editions
- Tracing reception history
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The original object or edition, catalogue raisonné, performance record, rights file and holding institution.
Three-step research path
- Establish the record: confirm the title “Tell Brak Head”, its source revision and the description used here.
- Expand the search: follow Tell Brak Head primary sources, Tell Brak Head archive and Tell research across catalogues and specialist indexes.
- Test the account: compare the strongest cited source with the responsible institution’s current record and note any disagreement.
Questions for further research
- Which source most directly establishes the central claim about “Tell Brak Head”?
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- Which edition, object, performance or recording is being described?
Search terms from this dossier
This entry incorporates text from “Tell Brak Head” on English Wikipedia. Contributors are listed in the page history. Text is available under the Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike 4.0 License. Selected authority identifiers and statements are retrieved from Wikidata under CC0; their references and qualifiers remain part of the verification path.