By . Martin Robinson . Last updated at 1:39 PM on 21st October 2011 . Archaeologists have discovered two pieces of astonishing art dating back around 2,600 years depicting a woman giving birth - the oldest such image ever found in the western world. The artefacts were at the heart of an ancient Etruscan settlement in Italy’s Mugello Valley, near Florence. The incredible images were on a small fragment from a ceramic vessel dating back to around 600 BC, and show the head and shoulders of a baby emerging from a mother, believed to be a goddess. Ancient: The small image of a woman in childbirth is the oldest ever found in the western world . And incredibly it was discovered by William Nutt, a graduate student at the University of Texas in Arlington who is legally . blind and was on his first ever dig. 'I found the artefact at the beginning of my second week there,' he said. 'It was . quite dirty, and we weren’t sure what it was until it was cleaned at the . on-site lab and identified. 'It was thrilling to find out . that it was so significant. To make a discovery like that, which . provides important new information about a culture we know so little . about, is exactly what makes archaeology and anthropology so appealing.” This goddess is shown with her knees raised and her face shown in profile, one arm raised, and a long ponytail running down her back . The excavation of the area is a project of Southern Methodist University in Dallas, Texas, Franklin and Marshall College in Lancaster, Pennsylvania, and the University of Pennsylvania Museum of Archaeology and Anthropology, in collaboration with The Open University in the UK. Cultural: The site is in a Tuscan valley close to Florence, pictured, an area full of historically important artefacts . The identification of the scene was made by Dr. Phil Perkins, an expert from The Open University. 'We were astounded to see this intimate scene; it must be the earliest representation of childbirth in western art,' he said. 'Etruscan women are usually represented feasting or participating in rituals, or they are goddesses. Now we have to solve the mystery of who she is and who her child is.' The Etruscan civilisation were from ancient Italy in the area corresponding roughly to Tuscany. They came to prominence in 700 BC before being absorbed into the Roman Republic in the 1st century BC. Experts believe there is considerable evidence that early Rome was dominated by Etruscans. They were particularly famous for their art, particularly sculpture and pottery, like the wine jug pictured above, cast metal idols, wall-painting and bronze work. Thematically its art was strongly connected to religion and gods, as well as the afterlife. The ceramic fragment is less than 4 x 3 cm from a . vessel made of bucchero. Bucchero is a fine, black ceramic material, . embellished with stamped and incised decorations, used as eating . and drinking vessels for the Etruscan elite. Typically, stamped designs . range from abstract geometric motifs to exotic and mythical animals. There are no known Greek or Roman representations of the moment of birth . shown as clearly as this example until more than 500 years . later. The image also gives clues about the role of women in that society. Scholars are certain that for some part of its history it was a sacred spot and the abundance of weaving tools and a stunning deposit of gold jewellery  suggests that a women god is what the people there may have worshipped. 'This is a most exciting discovery,” said Dr. Larissa Bonfante, professor emerita of classics at New York University and a world-renowned expert on the ancient Etruscans. 'It shows an image of a type so far unknown in Etruscan context, and gives us plenty to think about as we try to understand its religious significance.' A paper about the find will be presented at the annual meeting of the Archaeological Institute of America in Philadelphia in January.
The ceramic image is thought to be 2,600 years old and was found in Tuscany .
'It must be the earliest representation of childbirth in western art,' Open University expert says .
By . Martin Robinson . Last updated at 1:39 PM on 21st October 2011 . Archaeologists have discovered two pieces of astonishing art dating back around 2,600 years depicting a woman giving birth - the oldest such image ever found in the western world. The artefacts were at the heart of an ancient Etruscan settlement in Italy’s Mugello Valley, near Florence. The incredible images were on a small fragment from a ceramic vessel dating back to around 600 BC, and show the head and shoulders of a baby emerging from a mother, believed to be a goddess. Ancient: The small image of a woman in childbirth is the oldest ever found in the western world . And incredibly it was discovered by William Nutt, a graduate student at the University of Texas in Arlington who is legally . blind and was on his first ever dig. 'I found the artefact at the beginning of my second week there,' he said. 'It was . quite dirty, and we weren’t sure what it was until it was cleaned at the . on-site lab and identified. 'It was thrilling to find out . that it was so significant. To make a discovery like that, which . provides important new information about a culture we know so little . about, is exactly what makes archaeology and anthropology so appealing.” This goddess is shown with her knees raised and her face shown in profile, one arm raised, and a long ponytail running down her back . The excavation of the area is a project of Southern Methodist University in Dallas, Texas, Franklin and Marshall College in Lancaster, Pennsylvania, and the University of Pennsylvania Museum of Archaeology and Anthropology, in collaboration with The Open University in the UK. Cultural: The site is in a Tuscan valley close to Florence, pictured, an area full of historically important artefacts . The identification of the scene was made by Dr. Phil Perkins, an expert from The Open University. 'We were astounded to see this intimate scene; it must be the earliest representation of childbirth in western art,' he said. 'Etruscan women are usually represented feasting or participating in rituals, or they are goddesses. Now we have to solve the mystery of who she is and who her child is.' The Etruscan civilisation were from ancient Italy in the area corresponding roughly to Tuscany. They came to prominence in 700 BC before being absorbed into the Roman Republic in the 1st century BC. Experts believe there is considerable evidence that early Rome was dominated by Etruscans. They were particularly famous for their art, particularly sculpture and pottery, like the wine jug pictured above, cast metal idols, wall-painting and bronze work. Thematically its art was strongly connected to religion and gods, as well as the afterlife. The ceramic fragment is less than 4 x 3 cm from a . vessel made of bucchero. Bucchero is a fine, black ceramic material, . embellished with stamped and incised decorations, used as eating . and drinking vessels for the Etruscan elite. Typically, stamped designs . range from abstract geometric motifs to exotic and mythical animals. There are no known Greek or Roman representations of the moment of birth . shown as clearly as this example until more than 500 years . later. The image also gives clues about the role of women in that society. Scholars are certain that for some part of its history it was a sacred spot and the abundance of weaving tools and a stunning deposit of gold jewellery  suggests that a women god is what the people there may have worshipped. 'This is a most exciting discovery,” said Dr. Larissa Bonfante, professor emerita of classics at New York University and a world-renowned expert on the ancient Etruscans. 'It shows an image of a type so far unknown in Etruscan context, and gives us plenty to think about as we try to understand its religious significance.' A paper about the find will be presented at the annual meeting of the Archaeological Institute of America in Philadelphia in January.
from The Open University. 'We were astounded to see this intimate scene; it must be the earliest representation of childbirth in western art,' he