Eleven female figurines made of ivory have been found on this open air site on the river Don. This example is similar in some respects to the Willendorf figure. Her faceless head, decorated to indicate a hairstyle, is inclined forward above a clear neck. The shoulders slope down and the arms curve round under the large breasts which rest on a heavily pregnant stomach above a distinct sexual triangle carved in relief. The hips are fat and the buttocks rounded. The legs are broken across the thighs. The figure is nude and has no jewellery.

Gargarino open site, near Lipetsk on the let bank of the Don, Russia.

Culture taking its name from the La Gravette site, Dordogne, France, and lasted from about 28,000 years ago until 22,000 years ago. Original elements in Gravettian cave art include the use of hand stencils, and the type of female statuette widely but incorrectly known as 'Venus' first appear in the portable art of this period.

Source: Dr Jean Clottes

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