The Lion Man stands 31.1cm tall and is one of humanity's oldest known statues - carved 35-40,000 years ago from mammoth ivory. This cave lion-human hybrid with its distinctive grin took ~400 hours to carve. Found at Hohlenstein-Stadel Cave, reconstructed from hundreds of fragments. Aurignacian culture (43,000-26,000 years ago) 🦁
Key facts claimed:
- Four main caves: Hohlenstein-Stadel, Hohlefels, Geißenklösterle, Vogelherd
- Located in Swabian Jura mountains in southern Germany
- Caves contain tools, mobile art, figurines, and personal ornaments
- Region close to Danube, key for migration across Europe
- Also produced earliest flutes and musical instruments in Europe