Venus of Hohle Fels
From The Art and Popular Culture Encyclopedia
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Venus of Schelklingen; in German variously is an Upper Paleolithic Venus figurine found near Schelklingen, Germany. It is dated to between 35,000 and 40,000 years ago, belonging to the early Aurignacian, at the very beginning of the Upper Paleolithic, which is associated with the assumed earliest presence of Homo sapiens (Cro-Magnon) in Europe. It is the oldest undisputed example of Upper Paleolithic art and figurative prehistoric art in general.
Discovery
The discovery of the Venus of Hohle Fels pushes back the date of the oldest prehistoric sculpture, and arguably the oldest known figurative art altogether, by several millennia, establishing that works of art were being produced throughout the Aurignacian Period.
The figurine was discovered in September 2008 in a cave called Hohle Fels (Swabian German for "hollow rock") near Schelklingen, some Template:Convert west of Ulm, Baden-Württemberg, in southwestern Germany, by a team from the University of Tübingen led by archaeology professor Nicholas Conard, who reported their find in Nature. The figurine was found in the cave hall, about Template:Convert from the entrance and about Template:Convert below the current ground level. Also found in the cave was a bone flute dating to approximately 35,000 years ago, the oldest known musical instrument.
