started · updated
Tiny 40,000-Year-Old Bird Figurines Discovered in Germany's Hohle Fels Cave
Archaeologists from the University of Tübingen uncovered two miniature bird figurines carved from mammoth ivory in the Hohle Fels cave on the Swabian Alb, a UNESCO World Heritage site in southwestern Germany. The objects date to the Aurignacian culture, about 40,000 years ago, and measure roughly 2 cm in length, weighing about 1.3 g and 0.7 g respectively. One figurine depicts a resting, possibly brooding bird; the other shows a bird with outstretched wings whose left wing is broken. Professor Nicholas Conard, director of the excavations, called the finds the “Fund des Jahres” and noted they are the smallest known Ice‑Age artworks in the region. The bird carvings expand the known range of Paleolithic animal representations, which previously included mainly mammoths, cave lions and horses. The figurines will be on display at the Museum for Prehistory and Ice Age Art in Blaubeuren until 4 April of the following year.
Entities
Hohle Fels cave · Museum for Prehistory and Ice Age Art, Blaubeuren · Museum of Prehistory and Ice Age Art, Blaubeuren · Nicholas Conard · Swabian Alb · University of Tübingen
Claims
What the coverage asserts, and how well corroborated each claim is across sources.
- [● 7 SOURCES] The figurines are the smallest known Ice Age artworks in the UNESCO World Heritage region of the Swabian Alb. www.faz.net · www.der-kultur-blog.de · www.zeit.de · www.staatsanzeiger.de · www.sci.news · +2 more
- [● 7 SOURCES] One figurine shows a resting (possibly brooding) bird; the other shows a bird with outstretched wings, its left wing broken. www.der-kultur-blog.de · www.zeit.de · www.faz.net · www.staatsanzeiger.de · www.sci.news · +2 more
- [● 7 SOURCES] Two small bird figurines made of mammoth ivory were discovered in the Hohle Fels cave on the Swabian Alb. www.faz.net · www.der-kultur-blog.de · www.staatsanzeiger.de · www.zeit.de · www.sci.news · +2 more
- [● 7 SOURCES] The artifacts date to the Aurignacian culture, about 40,000 years ago. www.faz.net · www.der-kultur-blog.de · www.zeit.de · www.staatsanzeiger.de · www.sci.news · +2 more
- [● 7 SOURCES] The discovery adds bird representations to previously known Paleolithic animal carvings such as mammoth, cave lion and horse in the region. www.faz.net · www.zeit.de · www.der-kultur-blog.de · www.staatsanzeiger.de · www.sci.news · +2 more
- [● 7 SOURCES] The figurines weigh about 1.3 grams and 0.7 grams and measure roughly 2 centimetres in length. www.faz.net · www.der-kultur-blog.de · www.zeit.de · www.staatsanzeiger.de · www.sci.news · +2 more
- [● 7 SOURCES] The objects will be displayed at the Museum for Prehistory and Ice Age Art in Blaubeuren until 4 April of the following year. www.zeit.de · www.faz.net · www.der-kultur-blog.de · www.staatsanzeiger.de · www.sci.news · +2 more
- [● 7 SOURCES] Nicholas Conard called the finds the 'Fund des Jahres'. www.der-kultur-blog.de · www.zeit.de · www.staatsanzeiger.de · www.faz.net · www.sci.news · +2 more