http://SaturnianCosmology.Org/ mirrored file For complete access to all the files of this collection see http://SaturnianCosmology.org/search.php ========================================================== Back to Don's Maps Back to Venus figures from the Stone Age Venus figures from Russia,the Ukraine and sites East of the Donau mouth The female figurine from Berekhat Ram, in Israel. It is the oldest known figurative carving in the world, and is somewhere between 233 000 and 800 000 years old, older than Neanderthal man, and probably carved by Homo Erectus. The date is between these values because it has been found between two layers of volcanics, the upper one is about 230,000 years old, and the lower one approximates 800,000 years old. The original pebble bore a resemblance to a female, and this was enhanced by the carver, who cut grooves around the neck and along its arms. Microscopic analysis by Alexander Marshack has now made it clear that humans were responsible. It is carved into a piece of tuff, which is formed when volcanic ash settles on the landscape and is hot enough to weld together into a light, porous rock, often like pumice stone, which is tuff formed on the surface of the ocean. Photo: P. Bahn, 'Prehistoric Art' Berekhat figurine Commercial Berekhat figurine Commercial Berekhat Ram figurine, bearing not a lot of resemblance to the original. Photo: http://members.tripod.com/~Ten_Ten/index-22.html Vulva Statuettes féminines de Malta (Sibérie). Collection Musée de l'Hermitage. Venus figures from Malta (Siberia). Collection Musée de l'Hermitage. Photo and French text: "les mammouths - Dossiers Archéologie - n° 291 - Mars 2004" My thanks to Anya for access to this resource. The Gagarino Venus The Gagarino Venus Figurine of an obese woman from Gagarino, Ukraine. Height 5.8 cm Gagarino is located on the right bank of the Don River about five kilometres north of the junction of the Sosna, a tributary stream. Here peasants discovered a house pit while excavating a silo trench. Unfortunately, the trench cut through the centre of the house pit along its major axis and presumably destroyed the hearth and entrance. Zamiatinine (1934) who excavated this site during 1926 - 1929, found a house pit roughly oval in outline about 5.5 metres long and 4.5 metres wide. The floor was located 40 to 60 cm below the occupational surface. The walls of the pit were lined with the long bones of rhinoceros and mammoth, including the tusks and lower jaws of the latter, as well as with sandstone slabs. The wealth of material remains found in this one house pit is seen in the recorded finds of some six hundred flint implements, over a thousand blades, and proportionately large numbers of cores and waste flints. Artefacts of bone as well as several "venus" figurines completed the roster of non-lithic material. Photo: J Jelinek, 'The Evolution of Man' Text: "The pit house in the old world and in native north america" by Hiroshi Daifuku in the July, 1952 edition of American Antiquity, Vol XVIII, No 1. Vulva Statuette féminine de Gagarino, vue de profil. Collection MAE. Photo L. Iakovleva. Venus from Gagarino, in profile view. Photo and French text: "les mammouths - Dossiers Archéologie - n° 291 - Mars 2004" Photograph L Iakovleva. My thanks to Anya for access to this resource. venus Vénus de Elisseevichi (Russie) en ivoire de mammouth - vue de profil - Collection MAE. Venus de Elisseevichi (Russia) out of mammoth ivory, profile view. Collection MAE Photo and French text: "les mammouths - Dossiers Archéologie - n° 291 - Mars 2004" Photograph L Iakovleva. My thanks to Anya for access to this resource. Yeliseevichi venus Yeliseevichi venus The Yeliseevichi venus figure. From: www.folklore.ee/folklore/vol18/pa04.pdf The Yeliseevichi site was discovered in 1930 and it is located on the river Sudost, the right tributary of the Desna, in the Briansk Province, Russia. The majority of prehistoric artefacts was found in a heap of mammoth sculls piled next to a residential house. The most remarkable of these is a finely modelled 15 cm tall figure depicting a shapely woman with no feet, head and hands, carved of mammoth tusk. The figurine has prominent buttocks and legs. /(This venus figure, which may be a copy, appears never to have had a head, and the sculpture emphasises the thighs and buttocks rather than the breasts, although they are certainly indicated. This has the look of a younger figure which has not yet gone through childbirth. The waist is slim, the hips and thighs are well formed, as are the breasts, unchanged by child-rearing. It has quite a different emphasis and seems from a different tradition when compared with most other Kostenki venuses, nor for that matter with most of the other Gravettian venuses from France, for example. It has affinities with the unusual "venus impudique" from France. - Don)/ Photo (left): Vladimir Gorodnjanski, 2006 Photo (right): www.folklore.ee/folklore/vol18/pa04.pdf Kostenki Limestone Venus Found at the Russian site of Kostenki in 1988, is by far the biggest such object known from the ice age. The height of the surviving fragment is 13.5 cm (5.5 inches) It is noteworthy not only for its massive size and the prominent navel, but also for the bracelets on the wrists, which appear to be joined together at the front like a pair of handcuffs. Photo: P. Bahn, 'Prehistoric Art' Kostenki limestone venus Kostenki limestone venus Another view of the Kostenki Limestone Venus Photo: http://www.exn.ca/Stories/2000/02/03/53.asp kostienki Venus front kostienki Venus side kostienki Venus back Kostienki Venus front. Kostienki Venus side. Kostienki Venus back. This Venus figure from Kostienki made of mammoth bone shows the characteristic pregnancy, well developed buttocks and pendulous breasts of many such statues. In the rear view she can be seen to be wearing a fringe or girdle. Photo: G. Clark, 'The Stone Age Hunters' The Kostenki Venus The Kostenki Venus Two figurines from Kostenki/Kostienki Photo: J Jelinek, 'The Evolution of Man' Mezin Statuette féminine de Kostienki 1, vue de face. Collection MAE. Photo L. Iakovleva. Venus from Kostienki 1, frontal view. Collection MAE. This seems to be the same as one of the venuses drawn above. Photo and French text: "les mammouths - Dossiers Archéologie - n° 291 - Mars 2004" Photograph L Iakovleva. My thanks to Anya for access to this resource. Vulva Vulve sculptée de Kostienki 1. Collection MAE. Photo L. Iakovleva. Vulva sculpture from Kostienki 1. Collection MAE. Photo and French text: "les mammouths - Dossiers Archéologie - n° 291 - Mars 2004" Photograph L Iakovleva. My thanks to Anya for access to this resource. The Kostenki VenusThe Kostenki VenusThe Kostenki Venus These photos appear to be of the same figurine from Kostenki/Kostenky/Kostienki, although the colour cast in the images are entirely different. 23,000-21,000 BC Limestone H 10.2 cm Kostenky settlement This figurine represents the Palaeolithic 'Venus', with overlarge breasts and belly. The faceless head bends towards the chest while the arms are pressed to the body with hands on the belly. Covering the surface of the head are rows of incisions indicating a hair style or cap. Relief work in the form of a tight plait convey a breast ornament tied up at the back. There are bracelets on the arms. Photo: (left) http://www.hermitagemuseum.org/html_En/03/hm3_2_1a.html. (this server has since disappeared) (right images) http://exn.ca/stories/2000/02/03/53.asp golfballhead.jpg Head of a venus known popularly as the golf ball. From the Kostenki I site in Russia. The real basket headware was made of plaited starts and coiled basketry, copied here in stone. Photo: http://www.unl.edu/rhames/212/venus/venus_string.html Dr Soffer Dr. Olga Soffer examining the "golf ball" head of the Venus of the Kostenki I site in Russia. "Because they have emotionally charged thingies like breasts and buttocks, the Venus figurines have been the subject of more spilled ink than anything I know of," Dr. Soffer said. "There are as many opinions on them as there are people in field." Text and Photo: http://www.hort.purdue.edu/newcrop/history/lecture02/r_2-1.html venuskostenki1a.jpg venuskostenki1b.jpg Two small carvings in ivory from Kostenki 1 Photo: N.D.Praslov kostenki1venusivory.gif Another photo of the venus above. A figure of a naked woman. Her head is covered with rows of shallow teeth cuts, depicting, according to Z.A.Abramova, hair or a closely fitting head-dress. Engraved and relief lines on the chest and on the back. Mammoth's tusk. Height 11,4 cm. Found in 1936, excavation made by P.P.Efimenko, who thought it to be "one of the best creations of that period, known to us". From: http://vm.kemsu.ru/en/palaeolith/plastic/costenki.html Avdeevo venus Click on the image to see a close up Four small venuses about 15 cm high from the open air Avdeevo site in Russia, dating to 20 000 years BP Photo: P. Bahn 'Prehistoric Art' venuses Statuettes féminines de Avdeevo, vues de profil. Collection du musée d'Anthropologie de l'Université de Moscou. Photo L. Iakovleva. Female statuettes from Avdeevo, viewed in profile. Collection of the Museum of Anthropology of the University of Moscow. Photo L Iakovleva. Photo and French text: "les mammouths - Dossiers Archéologie - n° 291 - Mars 2004" Photograph L Iakovleva. My thanks to Anya for access to this resource. venus venus venus venus Click on the images to see a close up (left) Female figurine no 1, ivory, Old Avdeevo 48 no 2 (centre left) Female figurine no 2, ivory, Old Avdeevo 48 no 3 (centre right) Female figurine no 3, ivory, Old Avdeevo 81 (right) Anthropomorphic figurine no 4, ivory, New Avdeevo 75 Photo: M. Gvozdover, 'Art of the Mammoth Hunters' venus venus venus venus venus Click on the images to see a close up (left) Female figurine no 5, ivory, Old Avdeevo 48 (left centre) Female figurine no 6, ivory, New Avdeevo 76 (right centre) Female figurine no 6, ivory, close up of head, New Avdeevo 76 (right) Female figurine no 7, ivory, New Avdeevo 77 no. 1 Photo: M. Gvozdover, 'Art of the Mammoth Hunters' venus venus venus Click on the images to see a close up (left) Female figurine no 8, ivory, New Avdeevo 77 No. 2 Height 9 cm (centre) Female figurine no 9, ivory, New Avdeevo 78 (right) Female figurine no 10, ivory, New Avdeevo Photo: M. Gvozdover, 'Art of the Mammoth Hunters' venus Click on the image to see a close up Head of figurine no 13, marl, New Avdeevo Note the similarity of the head decoration with the Venus of Willendorf Photo: M. Gvozdover, 'Art of the Mammoth Hunters' venus Click on the image to see a close up Fragment of figurine no 14, marl, New Avdeevo This has been interpreted as a woman presenting in childbirth. Photo: M. Gvozdover, 'Art of the Mammoth Hunters' /The following text is adapted from the excellent monograph, highly recommended, by Mariana Gvozdover, 'Art of the Mammoth Hunters: The Finds from Avdeevo' Oxbow Monograph 49, 1995/ Avdeevo is located on the Sejm River near the city of Kursk. Research at the site was conducted from 1946-1949 (old complex - old Avdeevo) by Voevodskij and Rogachev, and from 1972 on (new complex - new Avdeevo) by Gvozdover and Grigor'ev. Two oval living areas surrounded by semisubterranean lodges and pits have been identified at Avdeevo. Both were occupied between 21 000 and 20 000 BP The sites are identical in their artefacts and similar to Kostenki 1, layer 1. They may also be connected with Kostenki XIII and XVII and with Berdyzh, located on the Sozh River. The tool inventory consists of Kostenki knives, shouldered points, and leaf points on blades. There is a well preserved series of worked bone objects which differ in details from those found at Central European sites assigned to the Kostenki-Willendorf cultural unity. They include numerous bone awls and points of various types, burnishers and shovels, diadems and bracelets, as well as beads and decorated points. Non-repetitive or unique objects are relatively rare. The Kostenki-Avdeevo figurines are quite variable. Most of the figurines depict mature women in various stages of the reproductive cycle: non-pregnant as well as women in the various stages of pregnancy. The beginning and final stages of the reproductive cycle are represented in singular figurines: in the crouching 'presentation' pose at Avdeevo (figurine N14) as well as in the post-partum pose at Kostenki XIII. The Avdeevo inventory also contains a series of utilitarian objects fashioned with anthropomorphic or zoomorphic 'heads', shaped metapodia and phalanges, as well as subtriangular pieces. All of these, to various degrees, are associated with the schematic and realistic depiction of animals and females. General characteristics of the site The Avdeevo Paleolithic site is located in the western part of the Middle-Russian Hills, 40 km from Kursk city, on the right bank of the river Sejm, where it meets its tributary the Rogozna. It is situated on the first terrace of the flood-lands. The cultural layer lies 1.0-1.5 m beneath the current surface. The site was discovered in 1941. In 1946-1948 it was investigated by M. V. Voevodskij and in 1949 by A. N. Rogachev. In 1974 the excavations were renewed by an expedition from the scientific-research institute and the Museum of Anthropology of Moscow State University conducted by M. D. Gvozdover and the Leningrad department of the Institute of Archeology AN SSSR conducted by G.P. Grigor'ev. The cultural layer, which is a greenish loam, measures from 0.2 to 0.4 m in depth. In some places it is intensively coloured red by ochre and charcoal. The cultural layer is followed by flakey loams, up to 40-60 cm thick. These are followed by sand and argillaceous (i.e. clay) deposits. The lower surface of the cultural layer (the floor) bears signs of artificial hollows - that is, pits and 'pit-houses'. During the human presence here, there existed a cold periglacial steppe. The fauna is represented by mammoth, hare, rhinoceros, horse, reindeer, bison, cave lion, brown bear, wolf, glutton, arctic fox, hare, steppe marmot and others. In addition, there are bones of big birds (swans, geese, crane, silver seagull, raven, eagle, steppe eagle and others). The large quantity of arctic fox and wolf bones and the degree of their conservation make it possible to suggest the existence of fur hunting. An area of the cultural layer covering about 950 m2 was uncovered in Avdeevo at the old site. This area covers both the main part of the settlement and its periphery. One third of the northwestern part of the settlement has been destroyed by the river Rogozna. On the site an oval living floor was excavated, edged with pits and semisubterranean 'pithouses'. The area of the living floor is about 800 m2. It is 45 m long, and 19-20 m wide. Eight preserved storage-pits near the edge and seven semi-subterranean 'pithouses' have been investigated there. The seven semi- subterranean 'pithouses' are 4 to 8 m2 in area, and measure 0.6-1 m in depth. Judging by the supposed boundaries of the oval, there existed more semi-pithouses and peripheral pits. The cultural layer of the living floor was irregularly coloured red by ochre and contained a large quantity of cultural remains: animal bone fragments, flints, charcoal. One well preserved hearth and several small patches of ash (possible hearths?) have been discovered there. We traced a series of rather small (up to I m2 in area, I m deep from the floor) storagepits. Outside the oval, behind the line of semi - 'pithouses' the layer loses its coloration and contains only fragmentary (separate) finds. The new site (New Avdeevo) is located some 20 m to the east of the old one (Old Avdeevo). To date, an area of more than 800 M2 has been opened here. An oval living floor covering an area of some 40OM2 has been discovered. The length is 28 m and the width is about 15 m. This living floor is edged by a line of pits and semi-pithouses. There are 10 such pits in all. Five large hearths, separated from each other by almost equal intervals, were discovered along the long axis of this feature. Several small hearths were also found. There seems to be no system in their location. More than three hundred small pits up to I M2 in diameter were opened on this site. Judging by the intact worked-bone pieces, which were often found in them, they are storage-pits. The cultural layer was very often coloured black by charcoal and very seldom red by ochre. The concentration of cultural articles in I square metre is higher than that at Old Avdeevo. It is at its highest along the hearth line. Just as at AvdSt, whole big mammoth bones were mostly found in the edge-pits and semi-pithouses. Similar living dwellings were discovered at KostenkiI at the first and second living complexes. As to the type of the living-complex features at the site, we can say nothing definite, since it is not clear whether they had a common ceiling. We are not very certain about the functions and the construction of the pits and semipithouses either. Though the two living floors and their stratigraphic location are similar, we cannot say whether these two dwellings existed simultaneously and formed one settlement, or are the remnants of a two-fold occupation of the same place by the same kinfolk. Flint assemblage A high quality chalky (cretaceous) flint was used to manufacture the stone tools at Avdeevo. Usually it is transparent, brown-yellow or black-coloured. When it is covered by patina, the flint changes colour and becomes bluish or white. Separate nodules are differentiated by their crust and insertions. Flagstone flint, usually striped and of a poorer quality, as well as compact (thick), fine-grained quartzite, were also used to produce tools. A total of 24, 100 flint finds was collected at Old Avdeevo, and 39,496 pieces at New Avdeevo up to 1986.1 A total of 33,437 items of knapped flint were gathered at K-1. It is interesting to note that in a cultural layer from 10 cm up to 40 cm thick, the flint density per 1 M2 is rather low.' At New Avdeevo, within the living floor the average concentration is 40-50 pieces per I ml. But there are some isolated squares where it exceeds 100 items. Behind the line of the pithouses, at the periphery, the quantity of flint seldom reaches 10 pieces. At New Avdeevo the flint concentration is higherthan at Old Avdeevo; in the living floor the average number is 100 pieces, while in some squares it reaches 300 pieces. The zone of high concentration occupies almost the whole area of the living floor. The density is especially high near the hearths. At the periphery, as in Old Avdeevo, the flint concentration declines sharply, and is usually not higher than 30 pieces per square metre. The presence of cores, and of the products of their reshaping and of striking flakes, indicates that the knapping was done in the living floor area. The usage of flint was economical. Large blades were used almost completely for tool manufacturing, broken tools were reshaped and there existed a multiple reshaping of tools in general. Blades as well as flakes were used to produce tools. Both large (10-16 cm long) and small specimens (1.3-4.5 cm) are found in the tool inventory. Different techniques were used in tool manufacturing: 1) a widespread burin technique; 2) edge retouch, steep and semisteep, producing edges of different sharpness; 3) partial flat retouch on the ventral surface; 4) trimming (see below); 5) ecaille. Worked bone The good preservation of the bone material at the site of Avdeevo made it possible for us to collect a large quantity of worked bones and their fragments, preparation pieces, and bone debris with various traces of usage, especially traces of meat processing. To produce such articles tusks, antlers and bones of different animals were used. The collection of bones with use - traces at Old Avdeevo consists of approximately 600 items, while the collection from New Avdeevo exceeds 2000 items. Such an abundance of well preserved material gives us an opportunity to follow some methods of the manufacturing of worked bone. Most of the artifacts were produced from mammoth tusks, and animal bones and horns (antlers), though we also take into consideration some scarce artifacts made from soft kinds of rock (marl, shale, sandstone). Nearly all artifacts were made almost faultlessly. Bone pressure-flaking tools On hundreds of bone fragments, tusk flakes and artifacts from the sites discussed, there are characteristic groups of dents testifying to the usage of these objects as bone pressure-flaking tools. Sometimes there are several such groups of dents: they are retouch traces. Shovels These were made of fragments of mammoth ribs. Usually their point is heavily worn, and the traces show that they were used as mattocks. Sometimes with the help of a flat flake the points were sharpened at the end of the inner (concave) part of the rib. Adzes/mattocks A rather large and massive tool preserving the curve of the tusk. The upper end of the tool is cylindrical. A relatively sharp point, triangular in cross-section and bow-shaped, is distinguished at the lower end due to the treatment of both surfaces. The tool was thus worked from approximately the middle of the preparation piece (Figure 17). The tool was made out of the scrap at the lower part of a young mammoth's tusk. Spearpoints made of ivory This group is relatively scarce and consists mostly of fragments. Awls and piercers In this category we grouped tools, made from bones and tusk, that are distinguished by the form of the sharp portion and of the butt end. Needle cases, beads and miscellaneous A series of so-called needle cases is present at Avdeevo. They are made from the long (tubular) bones of large waterfowl. A joint is carefully cut. The length of the artifacts varies from 117 to 360 mm. The average length is 200 mm. The surface is smoothed and has numerous decorations. Seven of the fourteen intact needle cases are decorated There is an abundant collection of beads made from sectioned teeth of wolf and polar fox. Cylindrical beads made from long bones of small animals were found besides the beads made from sectioned teeth of polar fox and wolf. 'The spoon': This artifact resembles an alder-tree leaf with a handle. 'The spoon' is 32 mm long, 52 mm wide. The preserved part of the handle is 30 mm in length, but it is only 1-2 mm thick. 'The spoon' is almost plano-concave in cross-section; the straight part is an external fragment of tusk. The slightly raised edges are sharpened. The external part of the artifact is almost untreated, while the internal part is hatched with small criss-cross scratches (Figures 44, 45). If you have any photographs or information which would be useful for this site please contact Don Hitchcock Webmaster: Don Hitchcock Hitchcock Lane Armidale NSW 2350 Australia Email: don at donsmaps.com