With little more than rolled and pinched bits of clay, a neolithic artisan working over 4,000 years ago deftly captured the essence of a ewe and ram. Small clay images of other domesticated animals including pigs, dogs, chickens, and sheep have been excavated from numerous neolithic sites throughout Hupeh province. While it has been suggested that such figures were traded with neighboring peoples in Hunan and Honan provinces, we are uncertain of what purpose they may have served.