Cave arts and the Venus figurines
There is a sharp conflict between early history and the current history. Early history, therefore, refers to the ancient events that took place before the recording of human history. The archaeologists collect the details about this history. Archaeologists usually collect the fossils and other artefacts that attempt to tell the nature of prehistoric life. The era is associated with complex societies which had no writing or well-developed language. Venus figurines and cave arts are some examples of materials used to develop early history. They refer to the old statues of female figures that were discovered across various historical sites in Asia and Europe. This paper, therefore, illustrates some of the essential prehistoric events and cultures and how artefacts helped to construct them.
To start, there are various theories put forward to demonstrate the significance of cave art and Venus figurines. These theories arise due to the controversies existing between researchers concerning the voluptuous nature of these figurines. One of the main theories is the one stating that the Venus figurines were curved as fertility symbols. Moreover, some researchers claim the women’s tiny dimension made it easy for the nomadic ancestors to transport them. Besides, other researchers claim that the figurines which appear pregnant represent a mother of goddesses.
Furthermore, the sculptures attempt to tell that man lived in complex societies during those ancient days. Besides, the sculptures portray a well-established culture of society (Sofer et al., 2000). This is because; the communities used the arts as a way of identity. Besides, the sculptures show an image of a society that valued life. It is due to this that some figures were meant to protect women during pregnancy and at birth.
The prehistoric religion was a bit complex filled with a lot of beliefs in spirits. The Paleolithic communities used to believe that everything had spirits such as the plants, animals and other non-living objects (Sofer et al., 2000). Besides, the type of religion that was common was the shaman. The society had a part-time practitioner who could mediate between supernatural beings and ordinary people.
Venus figurines present several aspects that can tell the role of women in society. One of the roles evident from the Venus figurine is that of women shape that appeared as if they were pregnant. Similarly, the shapes were in a manner that protected them during pregnancy and childbirth. Also, unlike male figures, women figurines were used to construct the culture of the society (women’s bodies had been transformed into cultural constructs while those of males had not….,”(Soffer et al., 2000). Furthermore, the women figures allowed them to provide labour in plant harvesting, processing, and transforming the plant raw materials into more complex structures “women were associated with plant harvesting, processing and transforming plant products into complex structures through weaving, and so forth.
In conclusion, early history refers to a period before history started being captured and recorded. It is a period in which no one can stand as a witness to affirm what happened. However, through archaeology, some artefacts were collected which serve as the primary source materials for the early history. Venus figurines are part of the earliest artefacts that were discovered by the archaeologists which attempt to demonstrate the nature of the societies. Besides, Venus figurines provide a clue on various aspects such as; the role of women, religion, and so forth.
References
Soffer, O., Adovasio, J. M., Hyland, D. C., Gvozdover, M. D., Habu, J., Kozlowski, J. K., … & Zilhão, J. (2000). The “Venus” figurines: textiles, basketry, gender, and status in the Upper Paleolithic. Current Anthropology, 41(4), 511-537.