The Birth of Venus

Top 10 Discoveries of 2022 January/February 2023

Willendorf, Austria
SHARE:

Venus figurine during scanning(Dept. of Evolutionary Anthropology, University of Vienna)

Venus of Willendorf(Dept. of Evolutionary Anthropology, University of Vienna)

For more than a century since the 30,000-year-old stone sculpture known as the Venus of Willendorf was found on the banks of the Danube River in its eponymous village, many unknowns have swirled around the 4.3-inch-tall figurine. But the lingering mystery of where the material used to make the sculpture originated has now bee

Become a Digital Subscriber Today

Get full access to all content on the ARCHAEOLOGY website and our PDF archive going back to the first publication in March 1948.

Already a Subscriber? Sign In

MORE FROM Top 10 Discoveries of 2022

  • Top 10 Discoveries of 2022 January/February 2023

    Aztec Offerings

    Mexico City, Mexico

    Read Article
    (AdobeStock)
  • Top 10 Discoveries of 2022 January/February 2023

    World's Oldest Straws

    Maikop, Russia

    Read Article
    (Courtesy the Penn Museum, image #295993, object #30-12-2)
  • Features January/February 2023

    Jungle Realm of the Snake Queens

    How women ascended the ranks in the highstakes world of Maya politics

    Read Article
    (Adobe Stock)
  • Letter from Ethiopia January/February 2023

    Exploring a Forgotten Jewish Land

    Using oral history, texts, and survey, archaeologists search for traces of a once-vibrant religious community

    Read Article
    (Courtesy JewsEast Research Project)
  • Artifacts January/February 2023

    Byzantine Solidus Coins

    Read Article
    (Dafna Gazit/Courtesy Israel Antiquities Authority)
  • Digs & Discoveries January/February 2023

    An Undersea Battlefield

    Read Article