The Venus figurines are a term given to a collection of prehistoric female figurines made during the Paleolithic period, mostly found in Europe, but also found in all the way to Siberia. To date, more than 200 figurines have been found, all of which are portrayed with similar physical features, including a curvaceous body with large and often large breasts, buttocks, abdomens, hips and thighs. tapered at the top and bottom. The head is usually relatively small in size and has no details, most of which lack arms and legs. Some appear to represent pregnant women, while others show no such signs. There have been many different interpretations of the figurines, but none are based on any kind of solid evidence. Like many prehistoric artifacts, the cultural significance may never be known.
The Paleolithic period lasted from about 30,000 BC to 10,000 BC and was characterized by the emergence of human creativity. Man-made artefacts from this period show the earliest signs of workmanship, from small personal ornaments and cave paintings to the popular Venus figurines, representing for the earliest known works of figurative art.
Figurines were carved from all sorts of materials, from soft stone (such as steatite, calcite, or limestone) to bone, ivory, or clay. The latter is one of the earliest ceramic works discovered. The oldest statue was discovered in 2008 in Germany. The “Venus of Hohle Fels”, as the character has since been called, was carved from mammoth tusks and is at least 35,000 years old.
The size of the figurines ranges from 1.5 inches to 9.8 inches in height. They are mostly discovered in settled contexts, both in open-air and cave sites, and in rare cases they are found in tombs. Considering they are found all over Europe and sometimes thousands of years apart, the common similarity of these sculptures is extraordinary.
Standing female statue, made of marble. Neolithic period. Eleusis Archaeological Museum (Public Domain)
The term ‘Venus figurine’ itself is controversial. Inspired by Venus, the ancient Greek goddess of love, it is suggested that the figures represent a goddess. Of course, this is one possible explanation, but it is only one of many that have been proposed. There is considerable diversity of opinion in the archaeological and paleoanthropological literature regarding the possible functions and meanings of these objects. Some of the various theories put forward include: fertility symbols, self-portraits, Stone Age dolls, realistic depictions of actual women, ideal images of female beauty, symbols religious, representational image of a mother goddess or even the equivalent of a pornographic image.
According to Soffer, Adovasio, and Hyland (2000), the outfits many Venus figures are seen wearing, including basket hats, netted scarves, headbands, halter dresses, and belts, are not typical outfits. of the Paleolithic period. The authors suggest that the costumes were most likely ceremonial, real or imagined, serving as markers of distinct social categories.
Dixson and Dixson (2011) argue that these images are unlikely to realistically represent women. At the time the figurines were created, Europe was in the midst of a severe ice age and it is unlikely that obesity was a common feature. Instead, the authors propose that the figures may have symbolized abundance and hope for survival and longevity, as well as for well-nourished and reproductively successful communities, during the harshest period of the great ice age in Europe.
Unfortunately, the true meaning and purpose of these figurines may never be known, leaving us to wonder why prehistoric peoples so widely separated in time and distance created such similar images and their true meanings.
