Photo: Silvie Mikulcová, Czech Radio
The Venus of Petřkovice, a statuette from the late Stone Age period believed to be 23,000 years old is currently being exhibited at the site where it was first discovered in the Ostrava district of Petřkovice 70 years ago. The unique item, which is the only “slender Venus” ever discovered in Europe, will be on display until Sunday.
Along with the clay statue of the Venus of Věstonice, the Petřkovice Venus is considered one of Czechia’s most unique examples of prehistoric art. The headless female torso was carved from hematite during the Upper Palaeolithic period. However, its age is not the only thing that makes it so special, explains Ján Hlobil from the Mining Museum in Landek Park in Ostrava:
“It is unique above all because it is the only slender Venus found in Europe. It is 4.6 centimetres tall and represents a young woman who was probably in the early stages of pregnancy.
“The statuette was discovered in July 14, 1953 during archaeological research initiated by the Institute of Archaeology of the Academy of Sciences and led by Mr. Bohuslav Klíma.”
Upon its discovery, archaeologists thought the head of the statue had broken off. Only later did they discover from the shape of the material that it was most likely the artist’s intention.
See the rest here.
Author: Ruth Fraňková