Scientists have revealed one of the secrets of the unusual sculpture, which is 30 thousand years old (photo)

Researchers have finally learned about the place of origin of the mysterious Venus of Willendorf, a figurine whose secrets have not been revealed for more than 100 years.

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As a result of a new study, scientists have found that the ancient figurine was carved from material that can be found hundreds and even thousands of kilometers from the place where it was found. But what it meant and why it was created remains a mystery, reports ScienceAlert.

What is the Venus of Willendorf?

• This is a small figurine of a female figure, which was discovered in Austria by the archaeologist Josef Szombati back in 1908.
• The Venus of Willendorf got its name due to the fact that it was discovered in an ancient grave of the Gravettian culture near the city of Willendorf.
• The Gravettian culture is an archaeological culture of the Late Paleolithic people. According to scientists, this figurine is at least 30 thousand years old.
• The height of the figurine is 11 cm, it is carved from oolitic limestone and covered with red ocher.
• Venus of Willendorf has very small and thick legs, exaggerated breasts and genitals. The carving also has an unusual headdress or hairstyle.
• Why the sculpture was created and what significance it had for ancient people is still not known.

New research

Scientists from the University of Vienna, Austria, studied in detail the ancient figurine, which is stored in the Museum of Natural History in Vienna. As a result, it turned out that the stone from which this sculpture was carved comes from Northern Italy, and some evidence suggests that a similar stone can even be found in Ukraine. This suggests that the creators of this figurine traveled hundreds or thousands of kilometers across Europe.

Previously, this female figure was studied only from the outside. But scientists led by anthropologist Gerhard Weber conducted a CT scan of its internal structure. It turned out that the internal structure of the stone is not homogeneous, but contains different layers of sedimentary rocks with different densities and grain sizes.

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To find similar oolitic limestone with the same structure, scientists collected rock samples from all over Europe, from France to Ukraine. As a result, it turned out that the stones that were found in northern Italy are the most similar in structure. This means that the creators of this figurine made a journey, if they did not go through the Alps, at least 730 km long.

“We think the Gravettes were reacting to climate change and looking for better places to settle,” says Weber.

The figurine could have been made even on the territory of modern Ukraine

Another coincidence with the stone from which the Venus of Willendorf was carved, scientists discovered in Ukraine, 1600 km from the place where they found the figurine. According to Weber, this place of origin of the sculpture is less likely, but this option should not be discarded.

“So far we have only an approximate time of creation of this figurine. And so far, the theoretical places where it was created. But we are sure that this figurine was very important for the creator, since it was taken with them on such a long journey,” Weber says. .

We remind you that scientists were able to restore the appearance of a 4000 year old woman. The researchers managed to recreate the facial features of a Stone Age resident as accurately as possible.

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