Daily #5

Identify the 'Venus of Willendorf'. What does it suggest that the beginnings of art and the domestication of animals happen during the same period in human history? 

Also known as the Woman of Willendorf is an eleven centimeter high statue of a female.  It is estimated that "she" was made between 22,000 and 21,000 BC.  It was discovered in 1908 at a site near Willendorf. It is carved out of limestone.  Several similar statues have been found.  Scholars believe that she is a symbol of fertility because of her round belly.  She has no visible face, and her "hair" is a bunch of horizontal bands which could also be a headdress.  The statue was does not have feet and does not stand on its own.  The one thing scholars and scientists do not know is for what purpose was she made.  Was she a self-portrait? Or was she created to honor a person in the society.

This suggests that art was probably based off of real people back then.  Perhaps ancient hieroglyphics were drawn based on what the people saw.   Looking at the other two Venus statues, I was able to see that all three of them look like pregnant women.  Their estimated times of creation are apart by a few thousand years, but they all appear to have the same look and they all don't have feet.  I would guess that maybe pregnant women were an important part of culture back then.  Artists did not have the kind of supplies we have today, so this statue suggests that art was basically using whatever you have and basing your art on what you see.