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been the only way to view their bodies during this period. They speculate that the complete lack of facial features could be accounted for by the fact that sculptors did not own mirrors. This reasoning has been criticized by
University of California anthropologist Michael S. Bisson, who notes that water pools and puddles would have been readily available natural mirrors for Paleolithic humans.
233:
Catherine McCoid and LeRoy McDermott hypothesize that the figurines may have been created as self-portraits by women. This theory stems from the correlation of the proportions of the statues to how the proportions of women's bodies would seem if they were looking down at themselves, which would have
390:
Philip R. Nigst, Paul
Haesaerts, Freddy Damblon, Christa Frank-Fellner, Carolina Mallol, Bence Viola, Michael Götzinger, Laura Niven, Gerhard Trnka, and Jean-Jacques Hublin: Early modern human settlement of Europe north of the Alps occurred 43,500 years ago in a cold steppe-type environment. PNAS
180:
Similar sculptures, first discovered in the nineteenth and early twentieth centuries, are traditionally referred to in archaeology as "Venus figurines", due to the widely held belief that depictions of nude women with exaggerated sexual features represented an early fertility deity, perhaps a
920:
616:. Christopher L. C. E. Witcombe, 2003: "The rows are not one continuous spiral but are, in fact, composed in seven concentric horizontal bands that encircle the head and two more horizontal bands underneath the first seven on the back of the head."
218:. The purpose of the carving is the subject of much speculation. Like other similar sculptures, it probably never had feet, and would not have stood on its own, although it might have been pegged into soft ground. Parts of the body associated with
253:
While the former has the highest statistical probability, the latter is closer to sites in southern Russia where similarly styled figurines have been found. In either case, this raises questions regarding the mobility of ancient populations.
189:
is metaphorical, since the figurines predate the mythological figure of Venus by many thousands of years. Some scholars reject this terminology, instead referring to the statuette as the "Woman of" or "Woman from
Willendorf".
732:
242:
Research published in 2022 indicates that the closest and most likely source of the oolite used is on the other side of the Alps in northern Italy, near
160:, which dates to between 33,000 and 20,000 years ago. The figure itself is estimated to have been left in the ground around 25,000 years ago, based on
222:
and childbearing have been emphasized, leading some researchers to believe that the Venus of
Willendorf and similar figurines may have been used as
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129:. The figurine was found by a workman named either Johann Veran or Josef Veram and is carved from an
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297:"The time of the Willendorf figurines and new results of palaeolithic research in Lower Austria"
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estimated to have been made around 29,500 years ago. It was recovered on 7 August 1908 from an
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3D model of the Venus of
Willendorf in the 3D museum of the Natural History Museum Vienna
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Don
Hitchcock (Don's Maps): "Venus figures from the Stone Age - The Venus of Willendorf"
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626:
McDermott, LeRoy (1996). "Self-Representation in Upper
Paleolithic Female Figurines".
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origin, method of creation, or cultural significance; however, it is one of numerous "
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as possible model for weaving a basket; Lauran Miller review at Salon.com:
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Christopher L. C. E. Witcombe, "Women in
Prehistory:Venus of Willendorf"
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October 7, 2014 111 (40) 14394-14399. doi:10.1073 /pnas.1412201111.
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The
Invisible Sex: Uncovering the True Roles of Women in Prehistory
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Wissenschaftliche
Mitteilungen Niederösterreichisches Landesmuseum
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Weber, G.W.; Lukeneder, A.; Harzhauser, M. (February 28, 2022).
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246:. A lesser possibility is that it came from a site in eastern
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336:"The microstructure and origin of the Venus of Willendorf"
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568:
Culture and values : a survey of the humanities
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442:"The anthropomorphic figurines from Willendorf"
133:that is not local to the area, and tinted with
421:Culture and Values: A Survey of the Humanities
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707:by J.M. Adovasio, Olga Soffer and Jake Page,
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592:: CS1 maint: multiple names: authors list (
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564:Lawrence Cunningham; John J Reich (2006).
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419:John J Reich; Lawrence Cunningham (2013)
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250:some 1,600 km (1,000 mi) away.
101:is an 11.1-centimetre-tall (4.4 in)
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199:3D model of replica (click to interact)
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1023:Archaeological discoveries in Austria
848:Adorant from the Geißenklösterle cave
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488:. New York: Alfred A. Knoff. p.
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410:Christopher L. C. E. Witcombe, 2003.
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230:, or perhaps a type of headdress.
153:The figure is associated with the
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684:Nude Woman (Venus of Willendorf)
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423:, 8th Ed., Andover, Belmont, CA
164:from the layers surrounding it.
1048:1908 archaeological discoveries
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462:from the original on 2014-10-21
311:from the original on 2021-03-22
203:Very little is known about the
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295:Antl-Weiser, Walpurga (2009).
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502:Witcombe, Christopher (2003)
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176:Figurine seen from four sides
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1038:Archaeology of Lower Austria
264:Art of the Upper Paleolithic
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1058:Works of unknown authorship
1033:Stone sculptures in Austria
541:Dictionary of Women Artists
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572:. Belmont, CA: Wadsworth.
484:The Testimony of the Spade
359:10.1038/s41598-022-06799-z
168:Interpretation and purpose
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1018:Upper Paleolithic Europe
715:, gives a new 'view' of
480:Bibby, Geoffrey (1956).
82:Naturhistorisches Museum
607:"Woman from Willendorf"
536:Encyclopædia Britannica
440:Antl-Weiser, Walpurga.
117:, and Josef Bayer at a
16:Austrian Venus figurine
307:(1–2). Brno: 131–141.
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145:, Austria as of 2003.
139:Natural History Museum
1053:Archaeology in Europe
982:List of Stone Age art
269:List of Stone Age art
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1043:Limestone sculptures
628:Current Anthropology
66:7 August 1908, near
1003:Venus of Willendorf
744: /
505:Venus of Willendorf
401:Venus of Willendorf
274:History of nude art
224:fertility goddesses
185:. The reference to
158:Gravettian industry
99:Venus of Willendorf
22:Venus of Willendorf
612:2007-10-05 at the
547:2021-03-10 at the
530:2021-03-10 at the
525:Venus of Wllendorf
511:2004-04-03 at the
406:2007-09-27 at the
341:Scientific Reports
216:Paleolithic Europe
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107:archaeological dig
1028:Stone Age Austria
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748:48.317°N 15.383°E
713:978-0-06-117091-1
690:
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579:978-1-133-94533-8
429:978-1-133-95122-3
214:" surviving from
162:radiocarbon dates
155:Upper Paleolithic
131:oolitic limestone
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137:. It is in the
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111:Josef Szombathy
72:Josef Szombathy
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666:External links
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634:(2): 227–275.
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313:. Retrieved
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228:plaited hair
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98:
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954:Gönnersdorf
946:Magdalenian
926:Balzi Rossi
871:Brassempouy
830:Aurignacian
751: /
119:Paleolithic
997:Categories
959:Petersfels
931:Willendorf
896:Petřkovice
858:Gravettian
843:Galgenberg
838:Hohle Fels
808:(disputed)
466:2012-12-24
315:2019-09-27
280:References
244:Lake Garda
123:Willendorf
121:site near
68:Willendorf
63:Discovered
901:Savignano
805:Acheulean
717:headdress
656:144914396
588:cite book
455:: 19–30.
220:fertility
135:red ochre
43:limestone
891:Lespugue
881:Kostenki
876:Gagarino
610:Archived
545:Archived
528:Archived
509:Archived
457:Archived
404:Archived
378:35228605
352:: 2926.
348:(2926).
309:Archived
258:See also
36:Material
975:Related
936:Zaraysk
886:Laussel
815:Tan-Tan
739:15°23′E
736:48°19′N
648:2744349
369:8885675
248:Ukraine
90:Austria
55:25,000
49:Created
40:Oolitic
964:Monruz
916:Mauern
911:Buret'
906:Mal'ta
711:
654:
646:
576:
427:
376:
366:
350:Nature
149:Dating
143:Vienna
86:Vienna
652:S2CID
644:JSTOR
460:(PDF)
445:(PDF)
208:'
205:Venus
187:Venus
70:, by
709:ISBN
594:link
574:ISBN
425:ISBN
374:PMID
97:The
795:in
636:doi
490:139
364:PMC
354:doi
141:in
999::
650:.
642:.
632:37
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Text is available under the Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike License. Additional terms may apply.
