Natufian burial at El Wad.
Rough draft for the latest – and final – reconstruction for Dusan: this one is a view of the Natufian burial at El Wad with the dentalium shell headband. The image was to show some connection between the living and the dead during the actual burial event, as well as the possible ways in which dentalium shell could be used in personal adornment – as jewelery, on clothing, etc. There are references within the image to other Natufian burial practices, not necessarily represented in this particular inhumation: the burial of puppies and the use of burned turtle shell (one of the women on the right holds a puppy; there are burned turtle shells on the left). The scene is set at sunrise, with the light coming up over the back of the caves at El Wad.
I quite like the way this idea turned out – I like the central motif of the woman and the body in front of her: a bit dramatic, a bit narrative. I’ll get Dusan to approve this rough draft and then start inking the final draft in this week.
