Prehistoric female figure ‘earliest piece of erotic art uncovered’
Despite well over 100 years of research and debate, the origins of art remain contentious
In recent years, abstract depictions have been documented at southern African sites dating to
75 kyr before present (
bp)
4, 5, and the earliest figurative art, which is often seen as an important proxy for advanced symbolic communication, has been documented in Europe as dating to between 30 and 40 kyr
bp
discovery of a female mammoth-ivory figurine
This figurine was produced at least 35,000 calendar years ago, making it one of the oldest known examples of figurative art
radically changes our views of the context and meaning of the earliest Palaeolithic art
The female figurine, which stands 6cm (2.4in) tall, has outsized breasts, huge
buttocks, exaggerated genitals and open legs.
“It is clear that the sexually symbolic dimension in European, and
indeed worldwide, art has a long ancestry in the evolution of our species
clipped from: entertainment.timesonline.co.uk 