There are certain Pre-Sumerian artifacts, recovered from the archaeological site of Al-Ubaid that offer incredible details about early cultures inhabiting Mesopotamia.

At Al-Ubaid, archeological missions have excavated a number of ancient artifacts including statues of what experts describe as humanoid figures with lizard-like characteristics.

These artifacts date back to the so-called Ubaid Period of Mesopotamia.

The Ubaid Period lasted from circa 6500 to 3800 BC, and its name derives from Tell al-‘Ubaid where the earliest large excavation of Ubaid period material was conducted.

The Ubaidian culture dates back between 4,000 and 5,500 BC, and just as with the ancient Sumerians, the origin of the Ubaid people remains a mystery to archaeologists.

We do know, however, that it was the Ubaid Culture which started building large unwalled settlements, mainly characterized by their multi-room rectangular mud houses. This culture is also credited appearance of the first temples of public architecture in Mesopotamia, with a growth of a two-tier settlement hierarchy of centralized large sites of more than 10 hectares surrounded by smaller village sites of less than 1 hectare.

Archaeologists firmly agree that it was during the Ubaid Period when society moved towards urbanization. The Ubaid Culture built incredible T-shaped houses, open courtyards, paved streets, and used food processing tools.

Quickly, large unwalled settlements developed into towns. Temples were erected, and people changed their way of life. New technologies emerged, and history began to be written down like never before.

Today, thousands of years after the first ancient cities came to life in ancient Mesopotamia, archaeologists are putting together an ancient puzzle which tells an amazing story.

Tell Al’Ubaid and the worship of Lizard-like beings

Ancient Mesopotamia is rich in history. The ancient people that lived there thousands of years ago left behind numerous clues that offer us a glimpse into the lives of early cultures.

At the archeological site of Tell Al’Ubaid, and at the ancient cities of Ur and Eridu, archaeologists recovered a set of mysterious figures that have challenged our understanding of ancient cultures.

More than 7,000 years ago, the ancient inhabitants of Mesopotamia worshiped Reptilian-like beings.

Tell Al’Ubaid was first excavated by Harry Reginald Hal in 1919 , as he and his team recovered various male and female figurines were in different postures. Follow-up up excavation performed in 1923, 1924 and 1937 respectively.

Archaeologists excavated a number of artifacts that helped understand this culture, but some items left archaeologists wondering.

Interestingly, scholars discovered that most of the figurines appear to be wearing a sort of helmet and have some kind of padding on the shoulders.

In addition to having excavated ancient figurines that resemble beings in spacesuits, archaeologists recovered various figurines of what appear to be female beings holding babies suckling milk. However, the being holding the baby is not human, but a reptile; A Lizard-like creature with humanoid characteristics.

Some of the figurines excavated in ancient Mesopotamia are represented with elongated heads, almond-shaped eye, and reptilian-like features.

What the ancient people of Mesopotamia wanted to represent with these figurines remains a mystery.

Archaeologists have been stunned by these discoveries, and no explanation has been given as to why the Ubaid culture made these strange looking figurines worshiping lizard-like creatures.

Experts maintain how the postures of the figurines, as well as the fact that they depict female figure breastfeeding, does not suggest that the figurines were ritualistic objects. So, if the figurines were not ritualistic items, what were they used for, and what was ancient mankind trying to tell us?

Whatever the ancient people of Mesopotamia wanted to convey with these figurines was surely important.

But reptilian beings were not only important for the ancient inhabitants of Mesopotamia. No matter where we look, we will find similar depictions.

Lizard-like creatures have been present in many cultures in ancient cultures, from Quetzalcoatl, Kukulkan, who were the Aztec and Mayan deities represented in the form of a snake, to ancient petroglyphs located worldwide depicting strange looking beings just like the lizard-like figures in the Ubaid Culture.

Were they merely decorative items? The result of imagination? Or did the Ubaid culture really see lizard-like beings walking among them?

The so-called Dogu are relatively small humanoid figures made at the end of the Jōmon period (14,000-400 BC) in Japan. The curious figurines have a number of strange characteristics that make them some of the most unique pieces of ancient art on the surface of the planet.

What do the Dogu have that makes them so mysterious?

Well, if you look at them, they kinda’ resemble some sort of humanoid wearing a suit? Maybe a spacesuit? The figurines are depicted with helmets or goggles. They are also depicted having strangely shaped ‘elongated’ heads, and some of them have almond shaped eyes. The eyes are nearly always depicted disproportionally in relation to the body.

The most interesting part perhaps is the fact that the Dogu Figurines are meant to represent the ‘Gods’.

Most Dogu figures have breasts, small waist, and large eyes and are considered by many to be representations of goddesses. Many have a large abdomen associated with a pregnancy, suggesting that the Jomon considered them to be mother goddesses.

According to the Metropolitan Museum of Art, these figures “suggest an association with fertility and shamanic rites.”

Made of clay, these figures take on many fascinating forms.

The Dogu tend to have large faces, small arms, hands, and a compact body. Some seem to wear glasses or have “heart-shaped” faces.

Most have marks on their faces, chests, and shoulders. Nearly all of the Dogu figures have been discovered in graves or stone circles, indicating through the location they were discovered in, some sort of religious or shamanistic use.

Experts have identified four types of Dogu figurines:

• “heart shaped (or crescent-shaped eyebrow) type” figurine
• “horned-owl type” figurine
• “goggle-eyed type” (Shakōki-dogū) figurine
• “pregnant woman type” figurine

Another interesting fact is that the Dogu figurines are believed to be exclusive to the Jōmon period and disappeared in the next historical period, the Yayoi period.

Regarding the Jomon ceramics, the Dogu have several styles depending on the area and type of associated exhumation. According to the National Museum of Japanese History, researchers have recovered around 15,000 Dogu figurines so far. Most of the Dogu have been found in eastern Japan and it is rare to find any in the west of the country.

Despite the fact that the figurines were associated with the Gods, the exact purpose of the Dogu is not yet clear, but most likely the Dogu acted like the effigy of people manifesting some kind of magic or shamanic purposes. As noted by Timothy Insoll, author of the book “The new hakodate jomon culture center, minamikayabe, Japan” it may have been believed that illnesses could be transferred into the Dogu, then destroyed, clearing the illness, or any other misfortune.

Gods or Ancient Astronauts?

Well, what’s the difference, right?

Ancient Astronaut theorists offer interesting explanations. Some authors believe that these figurines represent otherworldly visitors, extraterrestrial beings that came to Earth thousands of years ago.

The Dogu figurines appear humanoid but are certainly anything but human. The mysterious ‘suit’ that some of these figures appear to wear, helmets, and what some describe as goggles are just a few of the characteristics unfamiliar with that period in human history. This raises a few interesting questions: Did the ancient artists see beings that resembled the Dogu? Or are the mysterious figures the result of ancient mankind’s imagination?

Given the enigmatic nature and peculiar characteristics of the figurines, the Dogu have been part in numerous controversial theories. As noted by popular researcher and best-selling author Erich von Däniken, the Dogu (referred in the text as the “Japanese statue of Tokomai”) “…have modern fastenings and eye apertures on their helmets”, an attribution made in the final chapter of his 1968 book Chariots of the Gods?.