Male head from Merimde, a site in the Western Delta. It is one of the oldest attestations of burial practices in the Nile Valley. The head is oval in shape and has several depressions of various types and shapes used to represent eyes, nostrils and mouth. The nose is the only slightly raised part. The small holes on the cheek and chin were used to accommodate the beard, giving the object a virile appearance. Traces of paint remain and a hole at the base of the neck was used to insert a stick and allow its use in magic-religious rituals.