the Shigir Idol

Dating back 11,000 years - with a coded message left by ancient man from the Mesolithic Age - the Shigir Idol is almost three times as old as the Egyptian pyramids.

Wooden statue 5.3m high with eight faces gazed over the water for only two decades, but leaves us with a conundrum 11,600 years later.

Twice as old as the Egyptian Pyramids, samples of the Shigir Idol are sent to Germany for testing.

German scientists 'took samples abroad for analysis' which were 'illegally obtained' from famous Shigir Idol.

Culture on edge of Siberia was 'as advanced' as in Middle East, then considered to be the apex of development.

Stunning statue with 'encrypted codes' is 11,000 years old, even more ancient than previously believed.

Scientists close to precise dating of the Shigir Idol, twice as ancient as the Egyptian Pyramids.