Artifacts

Art in prehistoric Europe is not something that most people think of when they hear European art. They think of the Renaissance or Medieval art. But there was art being created throughout Europe from earliest dates being 30,000 BCE.
 * Artifacts **

This statuette is made out of mammoth ivory and stands around a foot tall. It is a human shaped body with a feline head. This is clearly a representation of artwork that the artist imagined. Because there is no record of what this creature represents or who it represents (much like the creatures from Egypt), no one can only speculate on what these statuettes could possibly represent.(Gardner's)

The most famous of the figurines found in Europe during the Paleolithic would have to be the Venus of Willendorf. She was found in Willendorf, Austria and is made of Limestone and is about four inches tall. We must take into account though, that there is no evidence for gods or goddesses during the Old Stone Age therefore the name alone “Venus” is misleading. The leading explanation for this figurine is that she represents fertility with her extremely, exaggerated curves and nude body. There are numbers of other examples of females being portrayed during this time period, without much explanation. But we can conjure that the people of this time must have been preoccupied with the capability to bear children was necessary for the survival of them.(Gardners)

Woman holding a bison horn, from Laussel(Venus of Laussel), Dordogne, FrancePainted limeston, 1' 6" high

Venus of Brassempouy

We want to know why people were making these small figurines, so we should look at them individually than as a whole. Each of the examples I listed are different in their own respect. Much of the art found in the form of small figurines were depictions of the human figure.(human evolution) And even more precise the majority of pre-historic sculpture depicts almost exclusively animals or women, men are rarely found in this art form. (gardners) These female figurines are often referred to as 'Venus' statuettes even though it is doubtful that they are related to any goddesses during this time. They are called such because of their connection to the idea of 'femaleness'. Many of them depict exaggerated female bodies which may represent fertility. The large breasts and curvy stomach and buttocks are so exaggerated that they can only be seen to represent something such as fertility. Note that on the Venus of Willendorf the artist took the time to carefully detail the pubic area. There is also no hair evident around this area. The detailed pubic area, combined with her emphasized breasts and other curves makes it almost impossible not to relate this venus with the idea of fertility and procreativity. (witcombe)

It is important to note that all of these pieces of art are portable and easily moved from settlement to settlement. These portable objects often had notches, or depictions of animals and plants. Alexander Marshack from the Peabody Museum suggests that some of these designs may represent season of the year. (Human Origins)

So we have two reasons here why someone would have created these objects. One being for fertility purposes, and the other for representing knowledge of climate/seasonal change. Both of these ideas for creativity are extremely important because they show that these **humans** were doing things that modern humans (like you and I) can understand. They are basically using 'idols' in hopes of fertility and celebration of the female form. They understand that without females there would be no life, so they chose to make these objects to represent them in some way. Recording seasonal change is also extremely important for our understanding of these peoples because it shows that they were aware that time changed. They were not just living for nothing. They recorded seasonal change so that they would know where to be and where not to be settled at different times of the year and what to expect. If you have ever turned on the Weather Channel, then you have just experienced (a highly technological form) the same situation that our prehistoric ancestors have.

Sources: Gardner's Art Through the Ages: The Western Perspective v1 (book) [|Women in Prehistory: Venus of Willendorf](website) [|Prehistoric Art in Europe] (book) http://witcombe.sbc.edu/willendorf/willendorfwoman.html (website) Human Origins (book)