A joint team of Jordanian and German archaeologists has announced the discovery of a 6000 year-old statue in the Jordanian desert near the border with Saudi Arabia.  
     The statue, which has been nicknamed "Dalish", stands 35cm tall, has a bearded, abstract face and a long nose. It was found in a cairn marking a late Chalcolithic burial. Zayid al-Saad, the Director General of the Department of Antiquities said that the 35cm high statue was "an important discovery" and added that "we have new discoveries daily, but one such as this is important and tells us more about our culture and history."
     The team led by Hamzeh Mahasneh of Mutah University, Jordan, and Hans Georg Gebel of Berlin's Free University have been working in the Hamad area in the north-eastern desert for four years. The area is well-known for Bedouin remains such as burial cairns. The statue sheds light on the ancient nomadic Bedouin culture that occupied the desert connecting Jordan, Saudi Arabia and Iraq.

Source: M & C News (21 July 2010), Gulf Times (22 July 2010)