Two-headed idol

(Anatolia, around 2000 BC)
This touching idol was found in Kültepe in central Anatolia, the enormous peninsular that constitutes the Asian part of Turkey. At the close of the early Bronze Age, around 2000 BC, Anatolia became incredibly wealthy thanks to its strategic location between Asia and Europe. The majority of the population lived in fortified settlements. Large Assyrian trading caravans made up of hundreds of donkeys loaded with textiles and tin crossed the area. They paid tax to local princes in exchange for protection and the right to establish trading posts (karums).