Satu Qala (Idu)

This curious artifact is a clay model of a bed, something which has been found at other sites in the Middle East. Researchers say that models like these were particularly popular around 4,000 years ago but were used as recently as about 2,000 years ago. Team member Cinzia Pappi told LiveScience in an email that “scholars have suggested several theories about the function of similar models. It is likely that they reflect practices of private, household religion.”

Image Credit: Cinzia Pappi.