Venus of Monruz
Venus of Monruz is a Paleolithic figurine found in 1990 in the Monruz suburb of Swiss Neuchâtel during rescue excavations for the construction of Highway A5. It dates to about 12,000–13,000 years ago and belongs to the Magdalenian culture. The figurine was made of jet, a material that is easy to carve. At just 1.8 cm high, it renders an abstract curved female body with prominent buttocks. A pierced hole at the top suggests it may have been worn as a pendant or amulet. The sculpture is displayed at the Laténium museum in Neuchâtel.
May 2016 © Thilo Parg · CC BY-SA 4.0
May 2016 © Thilo Parg · CC BY-SA 4.0
May 2016 © Thilo Parg · CC BY-SA 4.0
May 2016 © Thilo Parg · CC BY-SA 4.0
May 2016 © Thilo Parg · CC BY-SA 4.0
Identification | |
| Title | Venus of Monruz |
| Type | Paleolithic Venus figurine |
| Alternative names | Venus of Neuchâtel; Venus of Neuchâtel-Monruz; Venus from Monruz |
Historical context | |
| Date | End of the Magdalenian period, about 11,000 years ago |
| Cultural attribution | Magdalenian |
| Cultural period | Late Upper Paleolithic, possibly beginning of the Epipaleolithic |
| Age | 16,500–15,200 years old |
| Shared period with comparable object | Magdalenian period |
| Relative dating of comparable object | About 15,000 years old |
Discovery and provenance | |
| Number of figurines | Three |
| Type of find | Three prehistoric female statuettes |
| Discovery date | 1990 |
| Discovery context | Found during rescue excavations at the site of the A5 highway construction |
| Discovery place | Monruz, on the north shore of Lake Neuchâtel, Switzerland |
| Condition of the figures | One figure is completely preserved and undamaged; a second was reconstructed from two fragments; a third is missing most of the part above the gluteus and broke off in the lower third of the suspension loop |
| Associated find location | Monruz, Switzerland |
| Discovery date | 1991 |
| Discovery location | Monruz, municipality of Neuchâtel, Switzerland |
| Discovery context | Found during construction of the N5 highway at the open-air site of Monruz |
Physical characteristics | |
| Height | 1.8 cm |
| Form | Stylized human-body-shaped pendant depicting a woman |
| Form description | Stylized human body |
| Height | 18 mm |
| Depicted figure | Stylized woman |
| Dimensions of the largest figure | 16.5 mm long, 5.2 mm wide, 7.8 mm deep |
| Description | Abstractly depicts a curved female body with protruding buttocks |
Materials | |
| Material | Black jet |
| Material / appearance | Black pendant |
Iconography and meaning | |
| Evidence for possible function | A drilled through-hole in the upper part of the figurine |
| Possible function | Possibly worn as a pendant or amulet |
Location and ownership | |
| Current display location | Laténium Museum, Neuchâtel |
Other | |
| Interpretation of relationship to Petersfels figurines | They may have been made by the same person or belong to a shared regional tradition |
| Comparable object | Venus of Engen |
| Comparison note | The Venus of Engen has a notable resemblance to the Venus of Monruz |
| Shared material with comparable object | Jet |
| Stylistic relationship | Comparable in appearance and material to the Venus figurines from Petersfels; they are so similar that it has been speculated the same artist created both works |
| Distance to comparable findspot | About 130 km apart |
| Hypothesis | It is possible that both figurines were created by the same artist |
| Comparison location | Petersfels, about 130 km from Neuchâtel, southern Baden-Württemberg, Germany |
| Comparative site | Petersfels near Engen, Germany |