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Palaeolithic ivory sculptures from southwestern Germany and the origins of figurative art

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  • Nicholas J. Conard

    (Universität Tübingen, Schloss Hohentübingen)

Abstract

Archaeologists have always viewed the origin of figurative art as a crucial threshold in human evolution1,2. Here I report the discovery of three figurines carved from mammoth ivory at Hohle Fels Cave in the Swabian Jura of southwestern Germany, which provides new evidence for the appearance of figurative art more than 30,000 years ago. The finds include the oldest known representation of a bird, a therianthropic sculpture and an animal that most closely resembles a horse. The Aurignacian sculptures of the Swabian Jura belong to one of the oldest traditions of figurative art known worldwide and point to the Upper Danube as an important centre of cultural innovation during the early Upper Palaeolithic period3,4.

Suggested Citation

  • Nicholas J. Conard, 2003. "Palaeolithic ivory sculptures from southwestern Germany and the origins of figurative art," Nature, Nature, vol. 426(6968), pages 830-832, December.
    • Handle: RePEc:nat:nature:v:426:y:2003:i:6968:d:10.1038_nature02186
    DOI: 10.1038/nature02186
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    1. Pahiyangala Sumangala, 2024. "Bone Tools Usage of Low-Land Wet Zone in Sri Lanka: Based on Cultural Phases of Rockshelters," International Journal of Research and Innovation in Social Science, International Journal of Research and Innovation in Social Science (IJRISS), vol. 8(8), pages 2005-2011, August.

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