Venus of the Neolithic Age Discovered in Poland – History Blog

Neolithic sculpture of a female figure was discovered in Kołobrzeg, Poland. The Venus of Kołobrzeg dates back at least 6,000 years, and is the first ever Polish.

The limestone statue is 12 cm (4.7 inches) tall, depicting a stylized female figure, exaggerating the proportions of sexual characteristics and distorted proportions. The arms and legs are shortened, symbolically engraved, suggesting the position of the seat and folding on the breast. The face is unique. This type of statue is called Venus because it is considered a symbolic representation of fertility and female generative power.

It was discovered by a farmer in December 2022 in a field near the Parsęta River. In early 2023, photos of the statue were sent to Jan Orliński, president of ParsętaExploration and Search Group. He and other researchers identified it as a valid statue of the prehistoric Venus type, which was soon handed over to the provincial monument.

On the surface of the statue, there are visible dents that are produced by the properties of the raw materials made – traces of the existence of mollusk shells. In the raised parts of the human body, there are delicate smooth marks, especially around the breasts and hips, which may imply the use of statues (e.g., stored in packaging made of organic materials – for example leather?). The back of the figure is relatively flat, which may indicate that the statue is placed vertically or connected to certain bases.

Schematic anthropomorphic statues are usually in the Neolithic Ages of 6 and 5th Millenniums, and are located in the southern and southeast of the Carpathian Mountains. Similar figurines were found in Anatolia and southern Europe. Kołobrzeg Venus is a unique discovery in Poland, and no analogy has been found so far.

An interdisciplinary team of scientists has been studying Venus and will soon publish their analysis results. The statue will be exhibited to the public for the first time at the Polish Weapons Museum this fall.