The Venus of Laussel, a limestone bas-relief from abri de Laussel - site de fouilles préhistoriques, France, estimated to be 20,000-25,000 years old, depicts a nude woman with exaggerated reproductive features holding a horn. The horn is often thought to represent the crescent moon, though the claim of exactly 13 marks carved into it—frequently cited to match lunar or menstrual cycles—remains a subject of scholarly debate, with some researchers noting this interpretation may be overstated.
Venus of Laussel: 13 Marks Connect Moon to Reproduction
FranceTheory
Key facts
- Venus figurine from abri de Laussel - site de fouilles préhistoriques, France
- Depicts woman with exaggerated reproductive features
- Holds a horn with 13 marks carved into it
- Horn represents crescent moon, notches represent menstrual cycles
- 13 marks correspond to menstrual cycles per year or lunations
- Menstrual cycle and lunar cycle are the same period of time
- Many hunter-gatherer cultures believed moon influences pregnancy
- Ancient peoples may have used moon to time and manage pregnancies
Site mentioned
Sources
Laussel Venus: Upper Paleolithic Goddess with a Horn - ThoughtCothoughtco.com
The Venus of Laussel is a 20,000-year-old carving of a woman holding a horn. The horn held by the Venus may represent a moon, cornucopia, or a ...
The Venus of Laussel - La Femme a la Corne - Don's Mapsdonsmaps.com
The Venus of Laussel is a limestone bas-relief of a nude female figure, 46 cm high, painted with red ochre. It was carved into a large block of fallen ...
Venus of Laussel - Wikipediaen.wikipedia.org
The Venus of Laussel is an 18.11-inch-high (46.0-centimetre) limestone bas-relief of a nude woman. It is painted with red ochre and was carved into the ...
Laussel Woman - Holding a Bison Horn - Bradshaw Foundationbradshawfoundation.com
The woman holding a bison horn is pregnant and the shape of her waist and hips suggest that she had already had children.
VENUS of Laussel - Womenbodimentwomenbodiment.com
Depiction · she holds a crescent horn in her right hand, possibly a bison horn, or a cornucopia · it has 13 notches, according to some researchers ...
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