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flake or smashing it with a similar tool", which is different from the process used to create the observed grooves. This contradicts the hypothesis of Zilhão. d'Errico and Nowell also believe that the grooves on the object are the result of a deliberate motion rather than of non-purposive behavior,
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d'Errico and Nowell confirmed the artificial nature of modifications of the object, but refrained from identifying it with a human body. They noted that grooves, in general, may have a functional purpose. Still, they stated that the longitudinal symmetrical U-shaped grooves (supposedly representing
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and April Nowell re-examined the object using a comparative approach. They partly confirmed, partly corrected the findings of
Marshack. d'Errico and Nowell also reported the above grooves (with some corrections) and, additionally, reported areas of possible abrasion on the front, back and bottom of
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d'Errico and Nowell argued, however, that, although their analysis and results cannot refute a functional interpretation of the object, there are too many inconsistencies in this interpretation to investigate it any further. For example, d'Errico and Nowell suggested that, based on the existing
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and that the grooves could be byproducts of this process. Wynn suggested that the object could be a result of "someone passing time with a stone tool and a pebble". Mithen also stated that our symbolic understanding of the object does not imply that it was considered as such by early humans who
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All commentators of d'Errico and Nowell's study were convinced by their analysis and results and accepted the hypothesis that the object was modified by early humans. Marshack argued in favor of this hypothesis already in his earlier study of the object.
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158:, commented on that study, while d'Errico and Nowell provided a reply to these comments (both the comments and reply are included in the manuscript). The discussion around the Venus of Berekhat Ram concerned three questions:
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d'Errico and Nowell's argument that the "arm"-shaped grooves suggest a symbolic nature of the object was questioned by three commentators: João Zilhão from the
Instituto Português de Arqueologia, Thomas Wynn from the
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Goren-Inbar reported several artificial grooves on the object: one is a transversal groove in the upper third, others are longitudinal grooves on the sides below the transversal groove.
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the "arms") are hard to explain functionally. So, similarly to Goren-Inbar and
Marshack, d'Errico and Nowell argued in favor of the non-utilitarian and symbolic nature of the object.
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performed a microscopic study of the object in 1997. He also reported artificial modifications including the transversal and longitudinal grooves found by Goren-Inbar. Finally,
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Zilhão, Wynn, and Mithen rejected the hypothesis on the symbolic nature of the object and, thus, rejected the idea that the object is iconic. Angela E. Close from the
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195:. All of them suggested that the object and its grooves could have a utilitarian purpose. Zilhão hypothesized that the object could be used to produce
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126:). If this hypothesis is correct, the object would be the earliest example of representational art in the archaeological record, together with the
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The main discussion around the Venus of
Berekhat Ram took place after the study of d'Errico and Nowell. A number of scholars, namely,
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archaeological record, pigment "would have been more quickly and effectively produced by grinding one face of this object against a
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produced it, because the cognitive processes for symbolic thinking we use today may differ from the ones used by early humans.
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and is currently known as the Venus of
Berekhat Ram (the term "Venus" was taken from the conventional name of much younger
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pebble, 35 mm long, 25 mm wide, and 21 mm thick. It weighs approximately 10 g. It was excavated in 1981 at the
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50:. The pebble may have been modified by early humans and is suggested to represent a female human figure.
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also could not see a figurine of a woman in the object, but, instead, the object reminded her of a
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418:"A new look at the Berekhat Ram figurine: Implications for the origins of symbolism"
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345:"The Berekhat Ram figurine: a late Acheulian carving from the Middle East"
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to emphasize its anthropomorphic features. The object was then called a
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If they did, whether they were intended to represent a female figure.
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Whether the scratched marks were made by humans or hominids at all.
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If they were, whether they had non-utilitarian/symbolic intent.
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Goren-Inbar and
Marshack suggested that the object resembled a
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Rock Art
Network (Bradshaw Foundation): "Berekhat Ram"
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Don
Hitchcock (Don's Maps): "The Berekhat Ram Venus"
286:"A Figurine from the Acheulian Site of Berekhat Ram"
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58:The object was excavated and first described by
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500:Visual-Arts-Cork.com: "Venus of Berekhat Ram"
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510:James B. Harrod (OriginsNet): "Berekhat Ram"
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290:Journal of the Israel Prehistoric Society
82:. The object is dated 280,000 to 250,000
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640:Adorant from the Geißenklösterle cave
7:
62:from the Institute of Archaeology,
23:"Venus of Berekhat Ram" (original)
110:and was artificially modified by
64:The Hebrew University of Jerusalem
14:
416:d'Errico, F.; Nowell, A. (2000).
233:when seen from different angles.
469:, Angela E. Close, João Zilhão,
422:Cambridge Archaeological Journal
146:, Angela E. Close, João Zilhão,
815:1981 archaeological discoveries
456:from the original on 2021-04-12
383:from the original on 2023-02-16
316:from the original on 2023-02-16
1:
258:Art of the Middle Paleolithic
191:, and Steven Mithen from the
343:Marshack, Alexander (1997).
810:Works of unknown authorship
284:Goren-Inbar, Naama (1986).
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434:10.1017/S0959774300000056
361:10.1017/S0003598X00084957
223:University of Washington
182:Symbolic vs. utilitarian
217:Representational nature
42:) is a pebble found at
16:Alleged oldest artifact
213:as suggested by Wynn.
189:University of Colorado
31:
774:List of Stone Age art
540:33.23222°N 35.76639°E
193:University of Reading
36:Venus of Berekhat Ram
22:
173:Anthropogenic origin
66:. The artifact is a
536: /
248:Venus of Hohle Fels
545:33.23222; 35.76639
515:2021-08-15 at the
479:Alexander Marshack
156:Alexander Marshack
95:Francesco d'Errico
91:Alexander Marshack
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465:With comments by
124:Upper Paleolithic
60:Naama Goren-Inbar
38:(280,000–250,000
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467:Ofer Bar-Yosef
428:(1): 123–167.
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102:Interpretation
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25:Israel Museum
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713:Trou Magrite
612:Berekhat Ram
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458:. Retrieved
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385:. Retrieved
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318:. Retrieved
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98:the object.
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76:Berekhat Ram
57:
44:Berekhat Ram
35:
33:
800:Paleolithic
746:Gönnersdorf
738:Magdalenian
718:Balzi Rossi
663:Brassempouy
622:Aurignacian
543: /
138:Controversy
108:female body
54:Description
789:Categories
751:Petersfels
723:Willendorf
688:Petřkovice
650:Gravettian
635:Galgenberg
630:Hohle Fels
600:(disputed)
531:35°45′59″E
528:33°13′56″N
460:2021-04-12
387:2021-04-13
320:2021-04-12
264:References
805:Acheulean
693:Savignano
597:Acheulean
450:163138037
442:0959-7743
377:162969947
369:0003-598X
349:Antiquity
302:0334-3839
206:Acheulean
72:Acheulian
29:Jerusalem
683:Lespugue
673:Kostenki
668:Gagarino
513:Archived
454:Archived
381:Archived
314:Archived
310:23373142
296:: 7–12.
237:See also
116:figurine
112:hominids
74:site of
767:Related
728:Zaraysk
678:Laussel
607:Tan-Tan
231:phallus
227:penguin
197:pigment
46:on the
756:Monruz
708:Mauern
703:Buret'
698:Mal'ta
477:, and
448:
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367:
308:
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229:and a
210:basalt
154:, and
68:scoria
446:S2CID
373:S2CID
306:JSTOR
438:ISSN
365:ISSN
298:ISSN
34:The
587:in
430:doi
357:doi
294:י"ט
122:of
791::
473:,
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444:.
436:.
426:10
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396:^
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363:.
353:71
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347:.
329:^
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292:.
288:.
272:^
150:,
130:.
86:.
84:BP
78:,
40:BP
27:,
577:e
570:t
563:v
481:.
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359::
323:.
Text is available under the Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike License. Additional terms may apply.
