| Venus of Hohle Fels | |
|---|---|
 Two views of the Venus of Hohle Fels figurine, which may have been worn as an amulet, and is the earliest known, undisputed example of a depiction of a human being | |
| Material | Mammothivory |
| Size | Height: 6 cm |
| Created | 41,000 years ago |
| Discovered | September 2008 Baden-Wurttemberg,Germany |
| Present location | Blaubeuren,Baden-Wurttemberg,Germany |
TheVenus of Hohle Fels (also known as theVenus of Schelklingen; in German variouslyVenus vom Hohlen Fels, vom Hohle Fels; Venus von Schelklingen) is anUpper PaleolithicVenus figurine made ofmammothivory that was unearthed in 2008 inHohle Fels, a cave nearSchelklingen,Germany, part of theCaves and Ice Age Art in the Swabian JuraUNESCOWorld Heritage Site. It is dated to between 42,000 and 40,000 years ago,[1][2] belonging to the earlyAurignacian, at the very beginning of theUpper Paleolithic, which is associated with the earliest presence ofCro-Magnons inEurope.
The figure is the oldest undisputed example of a depiction of a human being. In terms of figurative art only the lion-headed,zoomorphicLöwenmensch figurine is possibly older. The Venus is housed at the Prehistoric Museum ofBlaubeuren (Urgeschichtliches Museum Blaubeuren).
TheSwabian Alb region of Germany has a number of caves that have yielded many mammoth-ivory artifacts of the Upper Paleolithic period. Approximately 25 items have been discovered to date. These include the Löwenmensch figurine ofHohlenstein-Stadel dated to 40,000 years ago[3] and an ivoryflute found atGeißenklösterle, dated to 42,000 years ago.[4] This mountainous region is located inBaden-Württemberg and is bounded by theDanube in the southeast, the upperNeckar in the northwest, and in the southwest it rises to the higher mountains of theBlack Forest.
This concentration of evidence of fullbehavioral modernity, including figurative art and instrumental music among humans in the period of 30,000 to 40,000 years ago, is unique worldwide and its discoverer, archaeologistNicholas Conard, speculates that the bearers of the Aurignacian culture in the Swabian Alb may be credited with the invention, not just of figurative art and music, but possibly, theearliest religious practices as well.[5] Within a distance of 70 cm (27.6 in) to the Venus figurine, Conard's team also found aflute made from a vulture bone.[6] Additional artifacts excavated from the same cave layer includedflint-knapping debris, worked bone, and carved ivory as well as remains oftarpans,reindeer,cave bears,woolly mammoths, andAlpine ibexes.
| External videos | |
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 [1],Nature - an extensive discussion of the artifact by two team members who discovered and study the figurine[7] |
The discovery of the Venus of Hohle Fels by the archaeological team led by Nicholas J. Conard of Universität Tübingen Abteilung Ältere Urgeschichte und Quartärökologie pushed back the date of the oldest known humanfigurative art,[a] by several millennia,[b] establishing that works of art were being produced throughout the Aurignacian Period.[8]
The remarkably early figurine was discovered in September 2008 in a cave calledHohle Fels (Swabian German for "hollow rock") near Schelklingen, some 15 km (9 mi) west ofUlm,Baden-Württemberg, in southwestern Germany, by a team from theUniversity of Tübingen led by archaeology professorNicholas Conard, who reported their find inNature.[9] The figurine was found in the cave hall, approximately 20 m (66 ft) from the entrance and 3 m (10 ft) below the current ground level. Nearby abone flute dating to approximately 42,000 years ago was found, the oldest known uncontestedmusical instrument.[4]
In 2015, the team presented two further pieces of carved mammoth ivory discovered at the site that have been identified as parts of a second female figurine.[10]
The figurine was sculpted from awoolly mammoth tusk and it has broken into fragments, of which six have been recovered, with the left arm and shoulder still missing. In place of the head, the figurine has a perforated protrusion, which may have allowed it to be worn as an amulet.
The discoverer, anthropologist Nicholas Conard, said: "This [figure] is about sex, reproduction... [it is] an extremely powerful depiction of the essence of being female".[11] Anthropologist,Paul Mellars ofCambridge University has suggested that—by modern standards—the figurine "could be seen as bordering on thepornographic".[12]
Anthropologists fromVictoria University of Wellington have suggested that such figurines were not depictions of beauty, but represented "hope for survival and longevity, within well-nourished and reproductively successful communities",[13] reflecting the conventional interpretation of these types of figurines as representing a fertility goddess.
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