Mammoth figurine from Vogelherd cave, ~35,000-40,000 years old. Part of a collection of Upper Paleolithic ivory figurines (mammoths, horses) from the Swabian Jura, Germany. The 37mm, 7.5-gram mammoth figurine, made from mammoth ivory, is one of the oldest pieces of art ever found. These miniature sculptures made of mammoth ivory rank among the oldest uncontested works of art of mankind.
Vogelherd cave mammoth figurine: crosses on Ice Age art
GermanyTheory
Site mentioned
Key facts
- Mammoth figurine from Vogelherd cave, 35,000-40,000 years old
- Covered in crosses with other less prominent markings
- Crosses on mammoth and horse figurines have been interpreted as fur reflections, counting devices, or symbols of ritual killings
- Statistical patterns show crosses deliberately used on zoomorphic figurines and tools but never on anthropomorphic figures
- This pattern over 10,000 years indicates deliberate conventions passed between generations of ivory carvers
- Another artifact (otter of Gliianclar) covered in dots, chevrons and dashes in neat rows
- Otter artifact represents possible numero-ideographic representation with bundled sequences
Sources
link.springer.com
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