Science, the Media, and Interpretations of Upper Paleolithic Figurines

Abstract

Using the recent discovery of the Hohle Fels figurine as a catalyst, in this article we briefly review the history of scholarship regarding Upper Paleolithic figurines that are often referred to as "Venus" figurines.We integrate this review with a critical examination of the assumptions underlying the "Venus hypothesis"-the perspective that these artifacts are best understood as sexual objects-based on the available data from both inside and outside of the field of Paleolithic archaeology. We suggest that interpreting the figurines in a purely sexual context obstructs their objective, scientific study and has unintended social consequences. Following from this, we consider why the Venus hypothesis persists in the popular media and scholarly research despite decades of reflexive critiques. Finally, building on these critiques, we argue for the importance of contextualization in the study of Upper Paleolithic figurines and discuss new approaches to their study. [Upper Paleolithic, figurines, pop culture, media, science] RÉSUMÉ Utilisant la dècouverte rècente de la figurine de Hohle Fels comme catalyste, le prèsent article passe en revue brièvement l'histoire de la recherche concernant les figurines du Paléolithique supérieur auxquelles on référe le plus fréquemment par le terme de figurine "Vénus". La revue comporte un examen critique des présuppositions sous-jacentesà "l'hypothèse de Vénus", notamment qu'il s'agit de faç on plausible d'objets sexuels, s'appuyant sur les données disponibles, dans le cadre médiatique populaire en deçà ainsi qu'à l'intérieur du domaine de la recherche sur le Paléolithique. Nous suggérons que toutes interprétations dans un contexte exclusivement sexuel masque une démarche scientifique objective comportant des répercussions sociales imprévues. Poursuivant ce raisonnement, nous abordons les causes d'une telle persistence de l'hypothèse Vénus dans le monde médiatique ainsi que dans la recherché erudite, malgré des décennies de réflection critique. Finalement, nous fondant sur ces critiques, nous soutenons l'importance de replacer l'étude des figurines du Paléolithique supérieur dans leur cadre contextuel et discutons de nouvelles démarches pour leurétude. [Paléolithque supérieur, statuettes féminines, culture populaire, médias, science] RESUMEN Usando el reciente descubrimiento de la estatuilla Hohle Fels como un catalizador, en este artículo brevemente revisamos la historia del cuerpo de conocimientos sobre las estatuillas del Paleolítico Superior que a menudo se refieren como las figuras de "Venus". Integramos esta revisión con una examinación crítica de las asunciones subyacentes de la "hipótesis de Venus"-la perspectiva que estos artefactos se entienden mejor como objetos sexuales-basados en la información disponible tanto de dentro como fuera del campo de la arqueología paleolítica. Sugerimos que interpretando las estatuillas en un contexto puramente sexual obstruye su estudio objetivo, científico y tiene consecuencias sociales imprevistas. Siguiendo esto, consideramos por qué ...

Open Access

“…Janusz Wołoszyn and Katarzyna Piwowar discuss how interpretations of sexual acts depicted on Moche pots in South America have changed over time. Their article nicely complements a recent AA article (Nowell and Chang ) about sexually oriented interpretations of certain Upper Paleolithic figurines. In a wide‐ranging article, Agustín Fuentes argues that our understanding of human evolution can be improved by greater attention to theories about niche construction.…”

Woman the hunter: The archaeological evidence

“…But considering our limited understanding of clothing manufacture in the Paleolithic, we should not assume nudity was sexualized. No authors are arguing that the few masculine figures are also pornographic (Nowell and Chang, 2014), but the interpretation of these images continues to be skewed toward an assumption of sexuality and the male gaze through a Western and colonial definition of pornography (e.g., Guthrie, 2005).…”

The venus figurines of the upper paleolithic as sexual power objects: The first fetishing of the female body in human imaginative culture.

“…They emphasize that the Venus figurines, along with engraved vulvas, carved phalluses and the "testosterone images" of the caves (lions, horses, bison's, mammoths, and aurochs), are to be related to the strong physical desires of young men for sex, food, fame, and bravery. Feminist researchers such as Kirkness (1999) and Nowell and Chang (2014) have criticized this tradition describing it as an expression of "the masculine gaze. "…”