A European Informational Website
learn more
Venus figurines is an umbrella term for a number of prehistoric items, mostly in statuette form, of women (whether obese or pregnant is disputed) from the Aurignacian or Gravettian period of the upper Palaeolithic, found in Europe. These items were carved from stone, bone or ivory, or molded in clay and fired. The latter are are among the oldest ceramics known. The first known discovery of a Venus figurine occurred in Austria in 1908, when the Venus of Willendorf was found. Like many such artifacts, their true cultural meaning may never be known; however, given that at the time of their construction human society would not have the same tendency towards obesity as it has today (as foodstuffs, particularly those which are fattening, would have been scarce as farming had not yet been invented), they may be emblems of security and success, fertility icons, pornographic imagery, or even direct representations of various goddesses themselves.