Beauty. In the eye of the beholder?
Now, I am going to applaud anyone with talent for art, be it photography, painting, or sculpture. And I further applaud people with this vision who lived 35,000 years ago. While I might see something a bit different than the artist had in mind, I am not one to look down upon creativity.
So when exploring deep in a cave in Hohle Fels, Germany, several scientists discovered this ancient relic, I am sure initially, they too wondered exactly what it might be.
This figurine, carved from mammoth ivory, is believed to be around 35,000 years old and therefore would be the oldest example of sculpture ever found.
Known as the Venus of Hohle Fels, it depicts a female figure with exaggerated breasts and thighs. Above, the sculpture is shown in a side and front view.
Ahhh...a female torso. Ok. Not being as savvy with human forms from the Upper Paleolithic period, I apologize if I seem indelicate. I would have bet cold cash this was a depiction of a chicken with breast implants.
However, this was also the time period believed to be shared between humans and Neanderthals. So let's assume this depiction of the female body came from those earth-dwelling hominids.
And isn't it something that the chicken torso / early female inhabitant of earth would have such a disproportionately large rack. Perhaps it is a demonstration that man's fascination with the breasts is so deep in their DNA that even an artist from 35,000 years ago made sure his sculpture included over-sized cannonballs. Excellent.
Couldn't utter a word yet, could you Mr. Neanderthal, but you knew you loved the ta-tas.
