Venus of Dolni Vestonice

The Venus of Dolní Věstonice (Věstonická Venuše in Czech) is a so called Venus figurine, a statuette of a nude female figure dated to 29,000–25,000 BCE (Gravettian industry). This figurine (together with few others from nearby locations) is the oldest known ceramic in the world.

It has height 111 millimeters and maximal width 43 millimeters. The statue is made of weakly burned clay. Figures of animals (bear, lion, mammoth, horse, fox, rhino and owl) have been found as well, in addition to more than 2,000 balls of burnt clay.

Since discovery

Beginning in 1924, the palaeolithic settlement of Dolní Věstonice in Moravia, Czech Republic was under systematic archaelogical research led by Karel Absolon.

The figurine was discovered on July 13th, 1925 in a layer of ash broken into two pieces. Subsequently, it was put on display. It is now protected in a museum in Brno and not accessible to the public.

Scientists examine the statuette from time to time. A tomograph scan in 2004 found the fingerprint of a 10 year old child on it.

External links

• Overview
• Pictures of Venus and other ceramic
• Details and timeline