Finally, Origin Of 30,000-Year-Old Venus Of Willendorf Figurine Identified

The Venus of Willendorf figurine discovered in Austria is one of the most important examples of early art in Europe. A new study has found the origin of the material from which the Venus was carved.

New Delhi: The 11.1-centimetre tall Venus of Willendorf figurine discovered in Austria is one of the most important examples of early art in Europe. The 30,000-year-old figurine is made of a rock called oolite that is not found in or around Willendorf. An international team of researchers have now found out the origin of the material from which the Venus was carved.

The study, led by anthropologist Gerhard Weber from the University of Vienna, and researchers from the Natural History Museum in Vienna, was recently published in the journal, Scientific Reports.

What Was The Origin Of The Venus Of Willendorf?

The material from which the figurine was carved likely comes from north Italy, the study said. The researchers inferred the probable origin with the help of high-resolution tomographic images. The fact that the likely origin of the material was northern Italy sheds new light on the remarkable mobility of the first modern humans south and north of the Alps.

The Venus von Willendorf is an important figurine, and special not only in terms of its design, but also in terms of its material. 

Other Venus figures are usually made of ivory or bone, sometimes also called stones. For the Lower Austrian Venus, oolite was used. This material was unique for such cult objects. 

According to the study, the figurine discovered in the Wachau in 1908 and on display in the Natural History Museum in Vienna has so far only been examined from the outside. 

How Was The Interior Of The Figurine Examined?

More than a 100 years later, a new method has been used to examine its interior: micro-computed tomography. 

The study said that the scientists, during several passes, obtained images with a resolution of up to 11.5 centimetres. This is a quality that is otherwise only seen under a microscope.

Weber said that Venus does not look uniform at all on the inside, according to a statement issued by the University of Vienna. He said that this is a special property that could be used to determine its origin.

The researchers procured comparative samples from Austria and Europe and evaluated them. This was a complex project, because rock samples were obtained from different places, including France, eastern Ukraine, Germany, and Sicily. These samples were then examined under a microscope. 

Other Findings About The Venus Of Willendorf

The sediments were deposited in the rocks in different densities and sizes, the tomographic data from the Venus figurine showed. There were small remnants of shells in between, along with six very dense, larger grains, the study said. These grains, called limonites, explain the previously mysterious hemispherical cavities on the surface of Venus with the same diameter, according to the study.

Weber explained that the hard limonites probably broke out when the creator of the Venus figurine was carving it. He said that in the case of the Venus navel, the creator then apparently made it a virtue out of necessity.

Another finding of the study is that the Venus oolite is porous because the cores of the millions of globules, or ooides, of which it is composed, had dissolved. The study said that a great explanation for why the resourceful sculptor chose this material 30,000 years ago is that it is much easier to work with. 

The scientists identified a tiny shell remnant, just 2.5 metres long, and dated it to the Jurassic period, ruling out all other potential deposits of the rock from the much later Miocene geological era, such as those in the nearby Vienna Basin.

The scientists also analysed the grain sizes of other samples. They marked and measured thousands of grains with image processing programs or even manually. According to the study, none of the samples with a 200-kilometre radius even remotely matched. 

The samples from the Venus figurine were statistically indistinguishable from the samples from a location within northern Italy near Lake Garda, the study found.

Journey From South Of Alps To North

The study said that the fact that the samples were statistically indistinguishable from the samples from a location within northern Italy near Lake Garda is remarkable because it means that the Venus figurine, or at least its material, started a journey from South of the Alps to the Danube north of the Alps.

Weber explained that people in the Gravettian, the tool culture of the time, looked for and inhabited favourable locations. He said that when the climate or the prey situation changed, they moved on, preferably along rivers. Such a journey could have taken generations, the study stated.

There were two possible routes from the south of the Alps to the Danube north of the Alps. One of them would lead around the Alps and into the Pannonian Plain. The other route to get from Lake Garda to the Wachau would be via the Alps, the study said. 

Climate deterioration began more than 30,000 years ago. Hence, it is unclear whether such a journey was possible more than 30,000 years ago.

A Possible Connection To Eastern Ukraine

The study said that the statistics clearly point to northern Italy as the origin of the Venus oolite. There is another interesting place for the origin of the rock. 

The place is in eastern Ukraine, more than 1,600 kilometres linear distance from Willendorf. 

According to the study, the samples there do not fit as clearly as those from Italy, but better than all the rest of the sample. 

The researchers noted an interesting connection in the study. Venus figures were found in nearby southern Russia, which are somewhat younger, but look very similar to the Venus found in Austria, and genetic results also show that people in Central and Eastern Europe were connected to one another at that time.

Some studies have also dealt with the existence of early humans in this time frame in the Alpine region, and with their mobility. For instance, the famous Ötzi came into play much later, namely 5,300 years ago, the statement said.

Ötzi, also called the Iceman, is the natural mummy of a man who lived sometime between 3350 and 3150 BC. It was discovered in September 1991 in the Ötzal Alps, on the border between Austria and Italy, and was naturally preserved by more than 5,000 years of sun, wind, and freezing temperatures.