Venus figurine

Rare card · No. 52947

A Venus figurine is any Upper Palaeolithic statue portraying a woman, usually carved in the round. Most have been unearthed in Europe, but others have been found as far away as Siberia and distributed across much of Eurasia. Most date from the Gravettian period (26,000–21,000 years ago). However, findings are not limited to this period; for example, the Venus of Hohle Fels dates back at least 35,000 years to the Aurignacian period, the Venus of Monruz dates back about 11,000 years to the Magdalenian period, and the Çatalhöyük figurine dates back about 8000 years to the Neolithic. Such figurines were carved from soft stone (such as steatite, calcite, or limestone), bone, or ivory; or alternatively formed from clay and fired. The latter are among the oldest ceramics known to historians. In total, over 200 such figurines are known; virtually all of modest size, between about 3 and 40 cm (1.2 and 15.7 in) in height. These figurines are recognised as some of the earliest works of prehistoric...

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