Tracing the Origins of the Venus of Willendorf

 

Figure 1: Venus of Willendorf (Source: Weber et al. 2022)

 

Throughout Europe, between modern day France and Russia, there have been a series of unique female idol figurines discovered.  Known as the Venus figurines these artifacts depict women in various forms, with some being thin, others obese, and most with exaggerated sexual characteristics. Most of these figurines were created out of bone or ivory, while a few were manufactured from stone.  There is only one, however, created from oolite, a porous stone: the Venus of Willendorf (Figure 1). 

 

Discovered in 1908 in Austria the Venus of Willendorf has always confused scholars for various reasons.  One of the questions raised by scholars was where the oolite stone used in her manufacture came from.  Oolite stone is not local to the Austrian area where she was discovered.  Today’s blog post will discuss the study that discovered the answer to this question, as well as address the additional questions that have come about from answering this question.

 

The Venus of Willendorf is a 30,000 year old artifact associated with the Gravettian cultural groups.   While the Venus of Willendorf represents one of many Venus figurines this particular 11-centimeter artifact is unique in and of itself.  It depicts an adult female with various exaggerated features, including enlarged genitalia, thighs, and breasts; bulging stomach; and an elaborate headdress or hairdo.  She is also faceless, which is typical of many Venus figurines.  She is also the only Venus figurine created from oolite stone.  When one considers that this type of stone is not local to the area where she was discovered it adds additional mystery to her origins.

 

At least that was the case until scholars out of the University of Vienna employed high-resolution tomographic imagery to examine the internal structure of the oolilte stone.  They were able to examine in great detail  this particular stone and compare it to other oolite stones across Europe.  They graded the porosity and sedimentary elements of this oolite stone, and they found a near perfect match.  Or at least strong evidence for them to claim with near absolute certainty that the oolite stone used in the creation of the Venus of Willendorf came from northern Italy.

 

This is the first evidence of contact between Gravettian people who were located in contemporary Italy and Austria, demonstrating there was a link between the Southern and Northern Alpine groups.  It is unclear how the groups were in contact with each other or what motivated that contact.  It is also unknown if the Venus of Willendorf was carved in Italy and traveled to Austria, or if the raw stone traveled to Austria where she was ultimately carved.

 

While this study answered one question it opened up several new ones, particularly concerning contact, trade, and migration patterns among Gravettian populations.  This will hopefully initiate greater study into these groups, leading to answers to these new questions as well additional insights into what life was like for Paleolithic groups.

 

Bibliography

University of Vienna. (2022, February 28). Origin of the 30,000-year-old Venus of Willendorf discovered. Phys.org.

Weber, G.W., Lukeneder, A., Harzhauser, M. et al. The microstructure and the origin of the Venus from Willendorf. Sci Rep 12, 2926 (2022). https://doi.org/10.1038/s41598-022-06799-z