Venus of Willendorf
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| Material | Oolitic limestone |
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| Created | 24,000 B.C.E – 22,000 B.C.E. |
| Discovered | 1908 near Willendorf, by Josef Szombathy |
| Present location | Naturhistorisches Museum, Vienna, Austria |
The Venus of Willendorf, also known as the Woman of Willendorf, is an 11 cm (4.3 in) high statuette of a female figure estimated to have been made between 24,000 and 22,000 BCE. It was discovered in 1908 by archaeologist Josef Szombathy at a paleolithic site near Willendorf, a village in Lower Austria near the city of Krems.[1] It is carved from an oolitic limestone that is not local to the area, and tinted with red ochre. The "Venus of Willendorf" is now in the Naturhistorisches Museum in Vienna.[2]
Several similar statuettes and other forms of art have been discovered, and they are collectively referred to as Venus figurines, although they pre-date the mythological figure of Venus by millennia. The Willendorf figure was named following a model already over fifty years old, and shares many characteristics with other figures.
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[edit] History
After a wide variety of proposed dates, following a revised analysis of the stratigraphy of its site in 1990, the figure has been estimated to have been carved 24,000–22,000 BCE.[1] Very little is known about its origin, method of creation, or cultural significance. The Venus of Willendorf was recovered in a site that also contained a few amulets of Moldavite.[3]
The purpose of the carving is the subject of much speculation. It never had feet and does not stand on its own. The apparent large size of the breasts and abdomen, and the detail put into the vulva, have led scholars to interpret the figure as a fertility symbol. The figure has no visible face, her head being covered with circular horizontal bands of what might be rows of plaited hair, or a type of headdress. She was thought to be very healthy given her weight and size.[4]
The nickname, urging a comparison to the classical image of "Venus," is now controversial. According to Christopher Witcombe, "the ironic identification of these figurines as 'Venus' pleasantly satisfied certain assumptions at the time about the primitive, about women, and about taste".[5] Catherine McCoid and LeRoy McDermott hypothesize that the figurines may have been created as self-portraits.[6]
[edit] Notes
- ^ a b Venus of Willendorf Christopher L. C. E. Witcombe, 2003.
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Witcombe, Christopher. Venus of Willendorf. Retrieved on January 18, 2008.
- ^ Simmons, Robert (2005, 2007). The Book of Stones: Who They Are & What They Teach. Heaven & Earth Publishing. Source: [1] (accessed: Tuesday April 13, 2010)
- ^ "Woman from Willendorf". 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."
- ^ "Name". Christopher L. C. E. Witcombe, 2003.
- ^ McDermott, LeRoy. "Self-Representation in Upper Paleolithic Female Figurines". Current Anthropology, Vol. 37, No. 2, April., 1996. pp. 227-275.
[edit] See also
[edit] External links
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Wikimedia Commons has media related to: Venus of Willendorf |
- Christopher L. C. E. Witcombe, "Women in Prehistory:Venus of Willendorf".
- Venus figures from the Stone Age - The Venus of Willendorf
- Comparison of Willendorf Venus and Young Amanita/
- The Invisible Sex: Uncovering the True Roles of Women in Prehistory by J.M. Adovasio, Olga Soffer and Jake Page, ISBN 9780061170911, gives a new 'view' of headdress as possible model for weaving a basket; Lauran Miller review at Salon.com: [2]
- A cartoon examination of the Venus of Willendorf's origins
