Face wand
A 9,000-year-old wand with a face carved into it was discovered in Syria.
Ancient site
The wand was found at Tell Qarassa, an excavation site of an early farming settlement in what is now southern Syria.
Excavating the site
The site was occupied more than 9,000 years ago and contains the remnants of walls from human settlement, as well as human burials.
Ancient culture
The people who lived at the site were some of history's earliest farmers.
Unearthing the past
Here, excavations continue at the site
Ancient burials
The wand was found near skeletons.
Missing heads
For some mysterious reason, the skeletons had had their skulls dug up and placed elsewhere at the site.
Revealing the body
Here, a skeleton is unearthed.
Mysterious practice
It's not clear why the heads were removed and placed elsewhere, though either ancestor worship or the trophy-display of enemy heads are possibilities.