Clay heads of anthropomorphic statuettes discovered by the excavations of the chalcolithic upper horizon at tell Yunatsite, Bulgaria

This publication reports on the heads from the statuettes dating to the final stage of the Chalcolithic at Tell Yunatsite. Specific features of their modelling and proportions are reviewed in the context of generalized morphology and proportions of the human head. Their deviations from notional constants offer an opportunity to evaluate characteristics of their stylization. Most heads in the collection have a shortened top of the head and a flat back of the head, with the nose attached from the top. Regarding the height-width-thickness ratio, the clay heads are divided into three groups: 1. The most narrow heads (Fig. 1: 1, 2); 2. Heads with flat backs that are slightly wider than the neck (Fig. 1: 3); and 3. Relatively wide heads, in most cases, with the straight back of the head, the shortened top and the raised face (Fig. 1: 4-9; 2; 3). The paper examines specific features of morphology of the wide heads, their proportions and size. Some heads have a hair-do. Some statuettes reveal studs or grooves for studs. The sites of Karanovo VI - Gumelnitsa - Kodzhadermen and Krivodol - Salcuta III sometimes yield flattened heads with the same modelling, which suggests a common canon for their stylization. Three variants of wide head size are singled out such as large, medium and small. As the data on the context of the finds are often limited, it was not possible to identify differences in the distribution of the wide heads. Based on the preserved heads, the wide heads with and without apertures on the face sides can belong to the statuettes of any sex.