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69-400: The Gravettian culture is known for their artistic works including the famous Venus figurines , which were typically carved from either ivory or limestone . The culture was first identified at the site of La Gravette in the southwestern French department of Dordogne . While historically assumed to represent a genetically homogenous group, recent analysis of ancient DNA sequences suggests that

138-582: A brachiopod from around 6,000 BCE in Norway has been identified as a late Venus figurine. This means that a given female figurine may or may not be classified as a Venus figure by any given archaeologist, regardless of its date, though most archaeologists disqualify figurines which date later than the Palaeolithic, even though their purpose could have been the same. 1974 - 1976, 1978 Hare See text Hares and jackrabbits are mammals belonging to

207-422: A mother goddess . The female figures are a part of Upper Palaeolithic art, specifically the category of Palaeolithic art known as portable art . The majority of Venus figurines are depictions of women, and follow artistic conventions of the times. Most of the figurines display the same body shape with the widest point at the abdomen and the female reproductive organs exaggerated. Oftentimes other details, such as

276-745: A 2016 genomic study showed that the Mal'ta people have no genetic connections with the people of the European Gravettian culture (the Vestonice Cluster ). Animals were a primary food source for humans of the Gravettian period. Since Europe was extremely cold during this period, they preferred food sources high in energy and fat content. Testing comparisons among various human remains reveal that populations at higher latitudes placed greater dietary emphasis on meat. A defining trait distinguishing Gravettian people

345-496: A Gravettian site in Austria. All belonged to haplogroup Y-Haplogroup I . and all had the same mtDNA, U5 . According to Scorrano et al. (2022), "the genome of an early European individual from Kostenki 14 , dated to around 37,000 years ago, demonstrated that the ancestral European gene pool was already established by that time." A 2023 study found that Gravettian-producing peoples belonged to two genetically distinct clusters. Fournol in

414-635: A circle with their heads near its centre. While each of the animals appears to have two ears, only three ears are depicted. The ears form a triangle at the centre of the circle and each is shared by two of the hares. The image has been traced from Christian churches in the English county of Devon right back along the Silk Road to China, via western and eastern Europe and the Middle East. Before its appearance in China, it

483-437: A decrease in obesity of the figurines. This was justified as survival and reproduction, in glacial, colder areas, required sufficient nutrition and, consequently, over-nourished woman may have been seen as the ideal of beauty in these areas. In "The Mythology of Venus Ancient Calendars and Archaeoastronony," Helen Benigni argues that the consistency in design of these featureless, large-breasted, often pregnant figures throughout

552-453: A figurine was produced helps guide archaeologists to reach conclusions as to whether the art piece found can be defined as a Venus figurine or not. For example, ceramic figurines from the late ceramic Neolithic may be accepted as Venus figurines, while stone figurines from later periods are not. This is a matter of ongoing debate given the strong similarity between many figurines from the Palaeolithic, Neolithic and beyond. A reworked endocast of

621-586: A hare. The hare was once regarded as an animal sacred to Aphrodite and Eros because of its high libido. Live hares were often presented as a gift of love. In European witchcraft , hares were either witches' familiars or a witch who had transformed themself into a hare. Now pop mythology associates the hare with the Anglo-Saxon goddess Ēostre as an explanation for the Easter Bunny , but is wholly modern in origin and has no authentic basis. In European tradition,

690-431: A higher ratio of lean muscle mass compared to body fat in comparison to modern humans as a result of a very physically active and demanding lifestyle. The females of the Gravettian were much shorter, standing 158 centimetres (5 ft 2 in) on average, with an average weight of 54 kilograms (119 lb). Examinations of Gravettian skulls reveal that high cheekbones were common among them. Clubs, stones and sticks were

759-517: A much-prized dish enjoyed in Greece and Cyprus and communities in the diaspora. The hare (and in recent times, the rabbit) is a staple of Maltese cuisine . The dish was presented to the island's Grandmasters of the Sovereign Military Order of Malta , as well as Renaissance Inquisitors resident on the island, several of whom went on to become pope . According to Jewish tradition , the hare

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828-565: A sign of an earlier prevalence of steatopygia , now associated principally to women of certain African or Andamanese ancestry. However the Venuses do not qualify as steatopygian, since they exhibit an angle of approximately 120 degrees between the back and the buttocks, while steatopygia is diagnosed by modern medical standards at an angle of about 90 degrees only. Another modern interpretation, providing an explanation for visible weight variety amongst

897-558: A straight blunt back. They are today known as the Gravette point, and were used to hunt big game. Gravettians used nets to hunt small game, and are credited with inventing the bow and arrow . Gravettian settlers tended towards the valleys that pooled migrating prey. Examples found through discoveries in Gr. La Gala, a site in Southern Italy , show a strategic settlement based in a small valley. As

966-446: A tall jug that stands in a pan of water. It traditionally is served with the hare's blood (or the blood is added right at the end of the cooking process) and port wine . Jugged hare is described in an influential 18th-century English cookbook, The Art of Cookery by Hannah Glasse , with a recipe titled, "A Jugged Hare", that begins, "Cut it into little pieces, lard them here and there ..." The recipe goes on to describe cooking

1035-471: A time. Normally a shy animal, the European brown hare changes its behavior in spring, when it can be seen in daytime chasing other hares. This appears to be competition between males (called bucks ) to attain dominance for breeding. During this spring frenzy, animals of both sexes can be seen "boxing", one hare striking another with its paws. This behavior gives rise to the idiom " mad as a March hare ". This

1104-489: A warren. Other rabbits and hares live and give birth in simple forms (shallow depression or flattened nest of grass) above the ground. Hares usually do not live in groups. Young hares are adapted to the lack of physical protection, relative to that afforded by a burrow, by being born fully furred and with eyes open. They are hence precocial , able to fend for themselves soon after birth. By contrast, rabbits are altricial , being born blind and hairless. Easily digestible food

1173-480: A whole. A consequence of this is that they are subject to generalised stereotypes that minimize morphological variation and differing contexts. Nevertheless, there have been many differing interpretations of the figurines since their discovery. McCoid and McDermott suggested that because of the way these figures are depicted, such as the large breasts and lack of feet and faces, these statues were made by women looking at their own bodies. They state that women during

1242-501: A wide region and over a long period of time suggests they represent an archetype of a female Supreme Creator . Neolithic, Bronze Age, and Iron Age inhabitants likely connected women as creators innately tied to the cycles of nature. Some scholars suggest a direct continuity between Palaeolithic female figurines and later examples of female depictions from the Neolithic or Bronze Age . A female figurine which has "no practical use and

1311-419: A wide variety of conditions, and reproduce quickly, so hunting is often less regulated than for other varieties of game. They are a common source or protein worldwide. Because of their extremely low fat content, they are a poor choice as a survival food . Hares can be prepared in the same manner as rabbits—commonly roasted or parted for breading and frying. Hasenpfeffer (also spelled Hasenfeffer )

1380-434: Is a traditional German stew made from marinated rabbit or hare. Pfeffer here means not only the obvious spicing with pepper and other spices, but also means a dish in which the animal's blood is used as a thickening agent for the sauce. Wine or vinegar is also a prominent ingredient, to lend a sourness to the recipe. Lagos stifado ( Λαγός στιφάδο )—hare stew with pearl onions, vinegar, red wine, and cinnamon—is

1449-524: Is among mammals deemed not kosher , and therefore not eaten by observant Jews. Muslims deem coney meat (rabbit, pika , hyrax ) to be halal , and in Egypt , hare and rabbit are popular meats for mulukhiyah ( jute leaf soup), especially in Cairo . The blood of a freshly killed hare can be collected for consumption in a stew or casserole in a cooking process known as jugging . First the entrails are removed from

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1518-658: Is called a "leveret". A group of hares is called a "husk", a "down", or a "drove". Members of the Lepus genus are considered true hares, distinguishing them from rabbits which make up the rest of the Leporidae family. However, there are five leporid species with "hare" in their common names which are not considered true hares: the hispid hare ( Caprolagus hispidus ), and four species known as red rock hares ( Pronolagus ). Conversely, several Lepus species are called "jackrabbits", but classed as hares rather than rabbits. The pet known as

1587-652: Is evidence of some genetic affinity between the Villabruna and Věstonice clusters, which may reflect shared common ancestry from the Balkans region. Fertile Crescent : Europe : Africa : Siberia : Venus figurines A Venus figurine is any Upper Palaeolithic statue portraying a woman, usually carved in the round . Most have been unearthed in Europe , but others have been found as far away as Siberia and distributed across much of Eurasia . Most date from

1656-496: Is headless, footless, armless, and displays a strongly emphasised vulva . Four years later, Salomon Reinach published an article about a group of soapstone figurines from the caves of Balzi Rossi . The famous Venus of Willendorf was excavated in 1908 from a loess deposit in the Danube valley located in Austria . Since then, hundreds of similar figurines have been discovered from

1725-520: Is not clear, but is traditionally assumed to be religious or ritual in nature. Some human bodies from the Palaeolithic era are found similarly covered, so it is assumed this colour had a significant meaning in their culture even though we do not know what. All generally accepted Palaeolithic female figurines are from the Upper Palaeolithic . Although they were originally mostly considered part of

1794-531: Is portable" and has the common elements of a Venus figurine (a strong accent or exaggeration of female sex-linked traits, and the lack of complete lower limbs) may be considered to be a Venus figurine, even if archaeological evidence suggests it was produced after the main Palaeolithic period. Some figurines matching this definition originate from the Neolithic era and into the Bronze Age. The period and location in which

1863-547: Is present not only in intermale competition, but also among females (called does ) toward males to prevent copulation. Hares are generally larger than rabbits, with longer ears, and have black markings on their fur. Hares, like all leporids , have jointed, or kinetic , skulls, unique among mammals. They have 48 chromosomes, while rabbits have 44. Hares have not been domesticated, while some rabbits are raised for food and kept as pets . Some rabbits live and give birth underground in burrows, with many burrows in an area forming

1932-436: Is processed in the gastrointestinal tract, expelling the waste as regular feces. For nutrients that are harder to extract, hares, like all lagomorphs , ferment fiber in the cecum and expel the mass as cecotropes , which they ingest again, a practice called cecotrophy . The cecotropes are absorbed in the small intestine to use the nutrients. The 34 species listed are: Hares and rabbits are plentiful in many areas, adapt to

2001-641: The Aurignacian culture, the majority are now associated with the Gravettian and Solutrean cultures. In these periods, the more rotund figurines are predominant. Within the Magdalenian cultures, the forms become finer with more detail and the styling of said figures started to become similar within areas of close contact. Despite being thought as one of the most 'fertile sources of debate in all of archaeology', Venus figurines appear to be relatively understudied as

2070-597: The Belgian hare is a domesticated European rabbit which has been selectively bred to resemble a hare. Hares are swift animals and can run up to 80 km/h (50 mph) over short distances. Over longer distances, the European hare ( Lepus europaeus ) can run up to 55 km/h (35 mph). The five species of jackrabbits found in central and western North America are able to run at 65 km/h (40 mph) over longer distances, and can leap up to 3 m (10 ft) at

2139-576: The Czech Republic suggest that nets were used to capture large numbers of smaller prey, thus offering a quick and consistent food supply and thus an alternative to the feast/famine pattern of large game hunters. Evidence comes in the form of 4 mm (0.16 in) thick rope preserved on clay imprints. Research suggests that although no larger net imprints have been discovered, there would be little reason for them not to be made as no further knowledge would be required for their creation. The weaving of nets

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2208-482: The Gravettian period (26,000–21,000 years ago). However, findings are not limited to this period; for example, the Venus of Hohle Fels dates back at least 35,000 years to the Aurignacian era, and the Venus of Monruz dates back about 11,000 years to the Magdalenian . Such figurines were carved from soft stone (such as steatite , calcite or limestone ), bone or ivory, or formed of clay and fired. The latter are among

2277-617: The Last Glacial Maximum , the producers of the Solutrean and Magdalenian cultures. All Gravettian-producing peoples are strongly genetically distinct from the producers of the later Epigravettian , who are genetically referred to as the Villabruna cluster , who show a greater affinity to ancient and modern peoples in West Asia than other Palaeolithic European hunter-gatherer groups. There

2346-625: The Pyrenees Mountains to the plains of Siberia . In September 2008, archaeologists from the University of Tübingen discovered a 6 cm (2.4 in) figurine carved from a mammoth 's tusk. This figurine was later called the Venus of Hohle Fels and can be dated to at least 35,000 years ago. It represents the earliest known sculpture of this type and the earliest known work of figurative art . Upper Palaeolithic female figurines are collectively described as "Venus figurines" in reference to

2415-556: The Roman goddess of beauty Venus . The name was first used in the mid-nineteenth century by the Marquis de Vibraye , who discovered an ivory figurine and named it La Vénus impudique or Venus Impudica ("immodest Venus"). The Marquis then contrasted the ivory figurine to the Aphrodite Of Knidos , a Greco-Roman sculpture depicting Venus covering her naked body with both her hands. In

2484-460: The UKTV Food television channel found only 1.6% of the people under 25 recognized jugged hare by name. Seven of ten stated they would refuse to eat jugged hare if it were served at the house of a friend or a relative. In England, a now rarely served dish is potted hare. The hare meat is cooked, then covered in at least one inch (preferably more) of butter. The butter is a preservative (excludes air);

2553-430: The genus Lepus . They are herbivores , and live solitarily or in pairs. They nest in slight depressions called forms, and their young are able to fend for themselves shortly after birth . The genus includes the largest lagomorphs . Most are fast runners with long, powerful hind legs, and large ears that dissipate body heat. Hare species are native to Africa, Eurasia and North America. A hare less than one year old

2622-505: The "Venus" name as a result. The use of the name is metaphorical as there is no link between the ancient figurines and the Roman goddess Venus ; although they have been interpreted as representations of a primordial female goddess. This perception is said to have derived from the fact that attention is directed to certain features common to most of the figurines, in particular emotionally charged primary and secondary sexual characteristics such as

2691-501: The Gravettian have revealed that they were tall and relatively slender people. The male height of the Gravettian culture ranged between 179 and 188 centimetres (5 ft 10 in and 6 ft 2 in) tall with an average of 183.5 centimetres (6 ft 0.2 in), which is exceptionally tall not only for that period of prehistory, but for all periods of history. They were fairly slender and normally weighed between 67–73 kilograms (148–161 lb), although they would likely have had

2760-638: The Gravettian was produced by multiple genetically divergent groups of hunter-gatherers. Eastern Gravettian-producing groups belong to the Věstonice cluster , while western Gravettian-producing groups belong to the Fournol cluster, both of which have genetic continuity from producers of the earlier Aurignacian. Fournol cluster-related groups are thought to be the ancestors of the producers of the following Solutrean and Magdalenian cultures present in Western Europe after

2829-557: The Hare , perhaps the best-known among Aesop's Fables , the hare loses a race through being too confident in its swiftness. In Irish folklore, the hare is often associated with the Aos sí or other pagan elements. In these stories, characters who harm hares often suffer dreadful consequences. A study in 2004 followed the history and migration of a symbolic image of three hares with conjoined ears. In this image, three hares are seen chasing each other in

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2898-576: The Last Glacial Maximum, while the producers of the Epigravettian are genetically distinct from Gravettian-producing groups. The Gravettians were hunter-gatherers who lived in a bitterly cold period of European prehistory, and the Gravettian lifestyle was shaped by the climate. Pleniglacial environmental changes forced them to adapt. West and Central Europe were extremely cold during this period. Archaeologists usually describe two regional variants:

2967-640: The abdomen, hips , breasts , thighs, or vulva , although many found examples do not reflect these typical characteristics. Depictions of hairstyles can be detailed, and clothing or tattoos may be indicated. The original cultural meaning and purpose of these artefacts is not known. It has frequently been suggested that they may have served a ritual or symbolic function. There are widely varying and speculative interpretations of their use or meaning: they have been seen as religious figures, an expression of health and fertility, grandmother goddesses, or as self-depictions by female artists. The Vénus impudique , which

3036-465: The animal's age and size. For example, first year deer offered hides most suitable for clothing, while fourth year deer contained far more meat. Gravettian diet included larger animals such as mammoths, hyenas, wolves, and reindeer killed with stone or bone tools, as well as hares and foxes captured with nets. This time period is classified by the strong emphasis on meat consumption because agriculture had not been fully introduced nor utilized. In addition,

3105-561: The basis of the Br'er Rabbit stories. The hare appears in English folklore in the saying " as mad as a March hare " and in the legend of the White Hare that alternatively tells of a witch who takes the form of a white hare and goes out looking for prey at night or of the spirit of a broken-hearted maiden who cannot rest and who haunts her unfaithful lover. The constellation Lepus is taken to represent

3174-462: The breasts, stomachs and buttocks. The term has been criticised for being a reflection of modern Western ideas rather than reflecting the beliefs of the sculptures' original owners, but the original names are unknown as well, so the term Venus has persisted. Like many prehistoric artefacts, the exact cultural meaning of these figures may never be known. Archaeologists speculate, however, that they may be symbolic of security and success, fertility , or

3243-441: The case of, for example, Arctic foxes , incisors and canines were used for decoration, while their humeri and radii bones were used as tools. Similarly, the skeletons of some red foxes contain decorative incisors and canines as well as ulnas used for awls and barbs . Some animal bones were only used to create tools. Due to their shape, the ribs, fibulas, and metapodia of horses were good for awl and barb creation. In addition,

3312-454: The climate was not favorable to stable crop cultivation. Coastal Gravettians were able to avail of marine protein. From remains found in Italy and Wales , carbon dating reveals that 20–30% of Gravettian diets of coastal peoples consisted of sea animals. Populations of lower latitudes relied more on shellfish and fish while higher latitudes' diets consisted of seals. Physical remains of people of

3381-492: The deceased, placed within the grave or tomb. Surviving Gravettian art includes numerous cave paintings and small, portable Venus figurines made from clay or ivory, as well as jewelry objects. The fertility deities mostly date from the early period; there are over 100 known surviving examples. They conform to a very specific physical type, with large breasts, broad hips and prominent posteriors. The statuettes tend to lack facial details, and their limbs are often broken off. During

3450-572: The development of tools such as blunted-back knives, tanged arrowheads and boomerangs . Other innovations include the use of woven nets and oil lamps made of stone. Blades and bladelets were used to make decorations and bone tools from animal remains. Gravettian culture extends across a large geographic region, as far as Estremadura in Portugal. but is relatively homogeneous until about 27,000 BP. They developed burial rites, which included simple, purpose-built offerings and/or personal ornaments owned by

3519-473: The dish can be stored for up to several months. It is served cold, often on bread or as an appetizer. No extant domesticated hares exist. However, hare remains have been found in a wide range of human settlement sites, some showing signs of use beyond simple hunting and eating: The hare in African folk tales is a trickster ; some of the stories about the hare were retold among enslaved Africans in America and are

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3588-441: The early 20th century, the general belief among scholars was that the figurines represent an ancient ideal of beauty. Since their discovery, considerable diversity in opinion amongst archaeologists and in palaeoanthropological literature has arisen as to the function and significance of the figures. Most scholars that have differing opinions on the purpose of the figurines, such as anthropologist Randall White, also disapprove of

3657-441: The figurines, comes from Johnson et al. Here, they argue that differences in the statues can be said to relate to human adaption to climate change. This is because figurines that are seen to be obese or pregnant originate to the earlier art from 38,000 to 14,000 BP - a period where nutritional stress arose as a result of falling temperatures. Accordingly, they found a correlation between an increase in distance from glacial fronts and

3726-535: The hare carcass before it is hung in a larder by its hind legs, which causes blood to accumulate in the chest cavity. One method of preserving the blood after draining it from the hare (since the hare is usually hung for a week or more) is to mix it with red wine vinegar to prevent coagulation , and then to store it in a freezer. Jugged hare, known as civet de lièvre in France, is a whole hare, cut into pieces, marinated, and cooked with red wine and juniper berries in

3795-588: The hare symbolises the two qualities of swiftness and timidity. The latter once gave the European hare the Linnaean name Lepus timidus that is now limited to the mountain hare . Several ancient fables depict the Hare in flight ; in one concerning The Hares and the Frogs they even decide to commit mass suicide until they come across a creature so timid that it is even frightened of them. Conversely, in The Tortoise and

3864-443: The head and limbs, are neglected or absent which leads the figure to be abstracted to the point of simplicity. The heads are often of relatively small size and devoid of detail. Some may represent pregnant women, while others show no indication of pregnancy. The Venus of Willendorf and the Venus of Laussel (a rock relief rather than a figurine) bear traces of having been externally covered in red ochre . The significance of this

3933-426: The oldest ceramics known to historians. In total, over 200 such figurines are known; virtually all of modest size, between about 3 and 40 cm (1.2 and 15.7 in) in height. These figurines are recognised as some of the earliest works of prehistoric art . Most have wide hips and legs that taper to a point. Arms and feet are often absent, and the head is usually small and faceless. Various figurines exaggerate

4002-445: The period would not have had access to mirrors to maintain accurate proportions or depict the faces or heads of the figurines. The theory remains difficult to prove or disprove, and Michael S. Bisson suggested that alternatives, such as puddles, could have been used as mirrors. It has also been suggested that the size and shape of the figures makes them suitable for holding through childbirth . It has been suggested that they may be

4071-411: The pieces of hare in water in a jug set within a bath of boiling water to cook for three hours. In the 19th century, a myth arose that Glasse's recipe began with the words "First, catch your hare." Many other British cookbooks from before the middle of the 20th century have recipes for jugged hare. Merle and Reitch have this to say about jugged hare, for example: In 2006, a survey of 2021 people for

4140-509: The post glacial period, evidence of the culture begins to disappear from northern Europe but was continued in areas around the Mediterranean. The Mal'ta Culture ( c.  24,000 BP ) in Siberia is often considered as belonging to the Gravettian, due to its similar characteristics, particularly its Venus figurines , but any hypothetical connection would have to be cultural and not genetic:

4209-488: The primary hunting tools during the Upper Paleolithic period. Bone, antler and ivory points have all been found at sites in France; but proper stone arrowheads and throwing spears did not appear until the Solutrean period (~20,000 Before Present ). Due to the primitive tools, many animals were hunted at close range. The typical artefact of Gravettian industry, once considered diagnostic, is the small pointed blade with

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4278-463: The remains of fourteen Gravettians. The eight males included three samples of Y-chromosomal haplogroup CT , one of I , one IJK , one BT , one C1a2 , and one sample of F . Of the fourteen samples of mtDNA , there were thirteen samples of U and one sample of M . The majority of the sample of U belonged to the U5 and U2 . Teschler et al. (2020) examined the remains of one adult male and two twin boys from

4347-589: The ribs were also implemented to create different types of smoothers for pelt preparation. The shapes of hare bones are also unique, and as a result, the ulnas were commonly used as awls and barbs. Reindeer antlers, ulnas , ribs, tibias and teeth were utilised in addition to a rare documented case of a phalanx . Mammoth remnants are among the most common bone remnants of the culture, while long bones and molars are also documented. Some mammoth bones were used for decorative purposes. Wolf remains were often used for tool production and decoration. Fu et al. (2016) examined

4416-483: The settlers became more aware of the migration patterns of animals like red deer , they learned that prey herd in valleys, thereby allowing the hunters to avoid travelling long distances for food. Specifically in Gr. La Gala, the glacial topography forced the deer to pass through the areas in the valley occupied by humans. Additional evidence of strategically positioned settlements include sites like Klithi in Greece, also placed to intercept migrating prey. Discoveries in

4485-425: The west (France and Spain) and Věstonice in the east (Czech Republic, Poland, Austria, and Italy) both of whom traced their descent from producers of the earlier Aurignacian culture. Some individuals showed mixed ancestry from both clusters where the range of the two clusters bordered. The study found that members of the western Fournol cluster were ancestral to later Western European Cro-Magnon groups that existed after

4554-849: The western Gravettian, known mainly from cave sites in France, Spain and Britain, and the eastern Gravettian in Central Europe and Russia. The eastern Gravettians, which include the Pavlovian culture , were specialized mammoth hunters, whose remains are usually found not in caves but in open air sites. Gravettian culture thrived on their ability to hunt animals. They utilized a variety of tools and hunting strategies. Compared to theorized hunting techniques of Neanderthals and earlier human groups, Gravettian hunting culture appears much more mobile and complex. They lived in caves or semi-subterranean or rounded dwellings which were typically arranged in small "villages". Gravettians are thought to have been innovative in

4623-419: Was likely a communal task, relying on the work of both women and children. The Gravettian era landscape is most closely related to the landscape of present-day Moravia. Pavlov I in southern Moravia is the most complete and complex Gravettian site to date, and a perfect model for a general understanding of Gravettian culture. In many instances, animal remains indicate both decorative and utilitarian purposes. In

4692-655: Was the figurine that gave the whole category its name, was the first Palaeolithic sculptural representation of a woman to be discovered in modern times. It was found in 1864 by Paul Hurault, 8th Marquis de Vibraye at Laugerie-Basse in the Vézère valley. This valley is one of the many important Stone Age sites in and around the commune of Les Eyzies-de-Tayac-Sireuil in Dordogne , southwestern France . The figurines were mostly discovered in settlement contexts, both in open-air sites and caves. The Magdalenian Venus from Laugerie-Basse

4761-402: Was their ease of mobility compared to their Neanderthal counterparts. Modern humans developed the technology and social organization that enabled them to migrate with their food source whereas Neanderthals were not adept at travelling, even with relatively sedentary herds. With their ability to move with the herds, Gravettian diets incorporated a huge variety of animal prey. The main factors were

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