6,000-Year-Old Venus Figurine Found in Poland

The 12-centimetre-long limestone statuette was first discovered by a local farmer and then studied by experts for almost three years. Their study has now confirmed its age and Neolithic origin.

A Discovery of Rare Historical Interest
"This is a find which may prove to be the discovery of the century, not only for the history of the region, but the whole country and Europe," said Aleksander Ostasz, the director of the KoÅ‚obrzeg City Museum. Archaeologist Marcin Krzepkowski, of the Relicta Foundation, said that although most findings come from long-term research, this one came down to luck. It then took a long, detailed verification test to confirm its age and origin.

The figurine is thought to have been made by Early Neolithic farming communities who made their home in what is now Western Pomerania. The small beaked figure is carved from beige limestone with inclusions of snail and mussel shells, and features a heavy-set seated woman with exaggerated female characteristics; her body is deeply sculpted, while her limb and facial details are crudely incised.

Symbolism and Culture
Analogous anthropomorphs are known from other Neolithic sites in southeastern Europe, the Anatolian Peninsula, and south of the Carpathians. These Venus images represent symbolic depictions of fertility, womanhood, or societal constructs of those days.

The KoÅ‚obrzeg artefact is dated to the sixth millennium BC, other prehistoric figurines are even older. One of the most well-known examples is the Venus of Willendorf, estimated to have been made about 28,000–25,000 BCE. These kinds of objects still offer valuable clues to early human symbolism and art.