Hawk 'Sculpture' Found in Syria - Is it really 12,000 Years Old?

12,000 year old hawk sculpture from Syria?  A millennium is 1,000 years, and this sculpture is said to be 10 millennia old before present (add two millennia to bring current), but are they truly saying it is 12,000 years old?  If so, I want to see the proof.

Reported at thaindian.com and other sources

Oldest sculpture of hawk discovered in Syria
Wednesday, September 15, 2010 7:06:21 AM by ANI

Image from Archaeology Daily News, 15 September 2010.
Is this just a bad photo or does this "hawk" have no
head?  Looks like an eagle to me, not a hawk but, hey,
what do I know?

Damascus, Sept 15 (ANI): French archaeologists in Syria have discovered the world’s oldest sculpture of a hawk, which dates back to the 10th millennium B.C.

According to al-Baath Newspaper, the Directorate General of Antiquities and Museums in the Ministry of Culture said the hawk sculpture was unearthed during the archaeological work in the area of Belaas, Hama, central Syria.

The Directorate affirmed the discovery proves that Syria is the first to use the hawk as the official symbol for the Syrian Arab Republic, the Global Arab Network reported. [Say what? There was no Syrian Arab Republic back then. This kind of blatant propaganda makes the entire article suspect.]

The discovery made during the Syrian-French joint expedition, proves that the Syrian Hawk is 5 millenniums older than all other sculptures. [On what evidence? Older than sculpture from Egypt, Mesopotamia, Iran, Catyl Hoyuk, Gobekli Tepe, Urfa?]

It in turn proves the historic role of the region where the sculpture was first created and then spread out to the whole world along with other aspects of the Syrian culture [ahem - even if this is so, it wasn't "Syrian Arab Republic" culture back then - the Arabs wouldn't be in the area for thousands of years] in contribution to human culture. (ANI)

****************************************************

Show me the facts, please.  In the meantime, contemplate this incredible sculptured head of a "vulture" - from Gobekli Tepe.

According to a report at xinhuanet: 
The [hawk] sculpture, 5.4 cm long and 5.3 cm wide [that's 2.13 inches long and 2.09 inches wide], was unearthed during the excavation work in Belaas, Hama, 200 kilometers to the north of the Syrian capital Damascus.

Just curious - how far is Hama from the Gobekli Tepe/Urfa area in Turkey (traditional Armenian highlands)?  I couldn't find a direct answer on the internet and measuring by map scales - hmmm - well, according to this map, it is maybe 375 miles as the crow flies???


You can get a feel for the area of Urfa and Gobekli Tepe, etc. in this archaeological map:

Map source.  There is an overlap area between the oran "Urfa Region" and the green demarcated
"Neolithic in the Levante" which I think includes the Hama area in modern-day Syria.

Trade Routes to the Nile Through Ancient Syria

New discoveries in Syria reveal ancient trade routes to Nile
Aug 26, 2010, 16:41 GMT

Damascus
- An academic excavation team said Thursday it had uncovered artifacts which indicate that an ancient Bronze-Age kingdom in northern Syria had strong international trade relations with Nile river dynasties.

Peter Pfalzner, a professor at the University of Tuebingen and head of a joint German-Syrian archeology team, said that gifts originating from the Nile Valley and Mesopotamia were discovered in burial chambers at the ruins of a once royal city near what is now the Syrian city of Aleppo.

He believes the ancient kingdom enjoyed great wealth and wider international trade than previously thought, the Syrian news agency SANAreported.

The Qatna Kingdom wielded an extensive regional influence during its peak, from 2200 BC until 2000 BC.

The presence of a stone sphinx at the site dedicated by Ita, daughter of Amenemhet II of ancient Egypt, had already suggested the existence of some relations between the Nile pharaohs and Qatna. Thousands of kilometres separated the two kingdoms.

Pfalzner said that about 50 ancient gifts dating back to the late Bronze era (1650-1600 BC) were found in his latest dig, including a gold and lapis bracelet, a sheet of gold with a depiction of a palm tree, a small crystal jar, and a stone statue of a hippopotamus of Egyptian origin.

The area around Aleppo, located along the Euphrates river, holds several important ruins and archaeological sites.
(c) Deutsch Presse-Agentur