The Nevalı Çori Serpent Head

Clifford C. Richey
September 2014

For further background on ancient depicted sign language please see:

academia.edu/Prehistoric Universal Depicted Sign Language.
 Illustration 1: Back of
Head

Illustration 2: Egyptian Amulet Illustration 3: Nevah Cori Head

“The so-called ‘skinhead’ discovered at Nevalı Çori (Hauptmann 1991/1992.Fig. 23) (Fig. 15), a life-
size human head with a snake atop recalling the Egyptian Uraeus snake which protects the pharaoh,
seems to belong to a similar statue. Unfortunately, the face was deliberately destroyed some time in the
Neolithic. The remaining part of the head was used as spolia in the northern wall of the terrazzo
building, where T-shaped pillars were discovered in the 1980s (for the first time in the world). The
snake clearly underlines the importance of the person, but as the skinhead was found in the wall of the
terraz-zo building, with its T-shaped pillars, it seems most probable that the status of the person
depicted by the sculpture is much below that of the T-shaped pillar-statues.”1

It is interesting that the above quote makes a comparison between Egyptian Snake Imagery and the
Snake Imagery found on the back of the Nevali Çori Head. But there is a more direct comparison that
can be made and that is between the sections of the Snake or Serpent Imagery found in an Egyptian

1 http://arheologija.ff.uni-lj.si/documenta/authors37/37_21.pdf
Göbekli Tepe – the Stone Age Sanctuaries. New results of ongoing excavations with a special focus on sculptures and
high reliefs. Klaus Schmidt Deutsches Archäologisches Institut, Orient-Abteilung, Berlin, DE kls@orient.dainst.de
Amulet2 and the Serpent found on the back of the Nevali Çori Head. Both Serpents have a Leg/Foot as
part of the Serpents Tail. In both cases the meaning in depicted sign language is the same, a long walk
or journey.

Illustration 4: Color Coded Nevah

Cori Head

The Form of the Nevah Çori Head is that of a somewhat Oval sign that is a compound of the
Vertical Rectangle, vertical-Place, and “U” shaped turning signs. The Head has rather non-
symmetrical Ears. The reason for the offset Ears is that the Ear Imagery when connected
together present the Form of a the relatively Large Severed Finger indicating, the great one,
pointing a direction, here. The Ears allude to holes, positioned, as on the Left and right,
eastern and western sides in gesture signing. The Stance of the Rightward Leaning Finger
meant stopped. Further, the separate Ears indicate a vertical-place sign in the east and an on
the side sign in the west. In sum the message would read something like:

The vertical turning-place,

of
The great one,
Stopped,
Here,
On,
A vertical-place,
On the eastern side,
and
On,
The western-side.

2 Academia.edu/An Egyptian Serpent Amulet

 Illustration 5: Color Coded Nevah
Cori Head

The Head Form has a Hair Braid that combined with its Serpent Form (a moving stream of
water) indicated a cleansing or purification. Thus the meaning is. the great one. His
purification. Because the Serpent was within the domain of the female-earth the Serpent is also
female. The spirit-essence of the Great One is within the underworld and undergoing a
purification. The entire setting of the temples with their “T” (meaning below) shaped Forms is
about the underworld.

Positionally, within, the turning-place, is the Large Serpent (the great stream of water). The
Form of the Serpent's Body (most depictions are based on a Body of some sort which was used
as a template to place or position the signs) is Undulating which indicated, motion or
movement. The Serpent's Stance is one of moving upwards.

As mentioned earlier The Tail of the Serpent was created in the Form of a (light-tan) Leg and
Foot (the long-journey). Directly above this is another (dark-tan) Foot (the journey). Above
this we find a (light-green) Square (the house-the lineage) and the shape of its sides are in the
Form of the signs for Leftward Leaning (waiting) and the Curved Line for arising. The Head
of the Serpent is in the Form of the (light-blue) male-spirit sign (based on the male glans penis)
and it is heading-upwards.

Above the Serpent's Head is a relatively (dark-blue) Large “U” shaped turning, positionally,
above sign. The Form of this sign can be divided into two Severed Fingers pointing a direction
Left (east) and Right (west) as well as being positionally on the sides and pointing below. It is
difficult to see the exact Form of the signs that allude to the Eyes (the Eye of the Sun—Venus).
They appear to be either Eye shaped or Rectangles depending on the available photographs. In
either case the Eyes of the Serpent are alluded to and, if Rectangular, would indicate the places
of Venus on the Left and Right, in the east and west.
 The great one.
His purification.

Within,
The turning-place,
of
The Serpent,
The great stream of water,
Her movement,
Upwards,
The journey,
The long-journey,
Below.

The house-the lineage,

Of waiting,
The arising,
of
The male-spirit,
Heading upwards.

His turning,
Above,
as
The Eye of the Sun, Venus,
Here,
and
On the sides,
Below,
in
The east and the west.

This theme related to the afterlife and Venus is very ancient and wide spread throughput the
world. It presents a concept of death, purification of the spirit in the waters of the underworld,
rebirth, and ascendancy to the sky above. All in order to join with the Great Star, Venus. It
appears to represent both a religious and political custom that enhanced the social status of
warriors in general and the lineage of warrior-priests in particular.