A significant ancient artifact, the Venus of Willendorf, was unearthed in Austria in 1908. This small statue, made from stone transported over 450 miles, challenges previous beliefs about Ice Age societies. Image Credits: Wikimedia Commons
In some cases, the turning points in the course of history take place not in royal castles, but rather in the mud on a modest construction site. On August 7, 1908, a group of workers had been busy digging up some loose sediment, which had lain untouched for almost 30,000 years, on the outskirts of the Austrian village of Willendorf. The man responsible for the section where this discovery was made was one Johann Veran, who noticed an interesting item among his finds.Thus, Veran discovered the Venus of Willendorf, which represents an 11-cm tall statue and became one of the most famous pieces of ancient art, the popularity of which would soon skyrocket. Contrary to the majority of artefacts discovered by accident without any context whatsoever, the discovery of the Venus of Willendorf took place as part of a systematic archaeological expedition. In conclusion, the precise geographic coordinates suggest that the Venus of Willendorf was made by the Gravettian people, who were hunters and gatherers living in the Last Ice Age.A travel masterpiece and hidden featuresFor a long time, the origin of the Venus of Willendorf has been considered to be local stone carving. However, due to technological advancements, it is now possible to see the inner structure of the object without harming it. Consequently, according to the research carried out by scientists from the University of Innsbruck and published in Scientific Reports in 2022, the Venus of Willendorf consists of oolite, which is a specific kind of limestone with a pattern resembling eggs. There are no similar stones at the place where the Venus of Willendorf was found.Thanks to high-quality scanning methods, it became possible to prove that the composition of this object fully coincides with the composition of rocks taken from over 450 miles away from Lake Garda in Italy. Therefore, no matter whether we talk about the completed figurine itself or the rock on which it was made, this material was transported at a distance of up to 450 miles across the rough territory. This object has radically changed our view of the way of life of Ice Age people. It turns out that they did not settle in some valleys only; they wandered around freely.
New research shows its composition matches rock from Italy. The figurine’s unique features and origin highlight the advanced skills and extensive travel of Gravettian hunters and gatherers. Image Credits: Wikimedia Commons
Mystery of the faceless statueIt is worth mentioning that the sculpture Venus is rather unique in this respect because there are many distinctive details regarding what it highlights and what it neglects. First of all, the face, legs, and hands of the woman are not shown. Instead, the artist drew two simple lines above the breasts. However, she has well-combed hair and the rounded body of a woman. Research carried out in the Natural History Museum in Vienna suggests that the Venus statuette was originally covered in red ochre, which signifies blood.Moreover, the research in Scientific Reports helped solve an age-old enigma connected to the so-called navel of the figurine. As revealed by the scans, the creator of the artefact proved himself or herself to be quite a proponent of turning disadvantage into an advantage. While trying to cut into the stone, the sculptor probably stumbled upon one of the iron-rich grains, known as limonites. Instead of discarding the item on account of its hardness, the creator decided to place the figurine’s belly button precisely at the place of such grain.At present, Venus is kept in a special case at a museum in Vienna, which hardly adds any value to her historical importance. She serves as a reminder that the tendency to create, commemorate and symbolise has always been an integral part of our history. Far from being merely a “fertility symbol” or a “mother goddess”, the sculpture is the tangible evidence of somebody’s talent and of many people’s struggle through the ages.It is an awe-inspiring notion that this figurine had been in the hand of a human 30,000 years ago and had remained preserved in the mud for just the right amount of time for Johann Veran to unearth it one morning on a Tuesday in 1908.
