Venus of Monruz, Paleolithic Venus figurine in Neuchâtel, Switzerland
The Venus of Monruz is a small carving from jet stone showing a simplified female form and measuring just 16 millimeters in height. The piece was polished and smoothed, suggesting its use as a wearable object.
This piece was discovered in 1991 during excavations at a Magdalenian camp and is about 13,000 years old. It dates from a time when hunter-gatherers lived across Europe.
The figurine belongs to a group of female form representations that were common during the Magdalenian period. Such small objects may have been worn as pendants or used as ornaments.
The object is displayed at the Laténium Museum, where it is shown alongside two similar figurines from the same archaeological site. The small size of the piece allows for detailed viewing in a protected setting.
The material from which the figurine was carved originated in distant regions, showing early trade networks between hunter-gatherer groups. These connections suggest that Magdalenian people exchanged objects across large distances.
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