Venuses of Věstonice

Guide to the Lands of Venuses

Coming back to our deep roots

Places of Pre-Christian, Pagan cultures at the heart of Europe connected with female figurines

Logo-Venus with a Rainbow

Předmostí

The Gravettian / Pavlovian Culture

The archaeological site of Předmostí, which belongs to the Pavlovian culture flourishing there about 29-31 thousand years ago, is another exceptional archaeological site.

The largest number of skeletons of prehistoric modern humans (Homo sapiens) dating from the Upper Palaeolithic (at least 25 individuals), has been found here. Unfortunately, the bones were destroyed by fire in the final days of World War II. Nevertheless, the documentation (photographs, casts and descriptions) has been preserved.

The Venus of Předmostí is unique. It is not a statuette, but an engraving of a woman in a mammoth tusk, consisting of geometrical patterns. It is a real masterpiece of the Palaeolithic art.

There is a monument of the Venus of Předmostí close to the spot where it was found. The site surrounding area has been considerably changed due to the construction of a housing estate. What has remained is a boulder with a memorial plaque.

At the times of the then people, the landscape could well have been called sacred thanks to two prominent limestone rocks standing there.

Předmostí is a suburb of the town of Přerov (45,000 inhabitants), located 70 km (geographical distance) north-east of Brno (380,000 inhabitants).

Between Přerov (with the Venus of Předmostí) and Ostrava (with the Venus of Petřkovice), there are the birthplaces of Sigmund Freud (Příbor, see here) and Johann Gregor Mendel, the founder of genetics (Hynčice, now part of the village of Vražné, see here).

Předmostí. Click to enlarge.
Predmosti
The monument of the Venus of Předmostí. Click to enlarge.
Předmostí-Venus monument
The monument of the Venus of Předmostí. Click to enlarge.
Předmostí-Venus monument
The monument of the Venus of Předmostí-detail. Click to enlarge.
Předmostí-Venus monument
Předmostí-the site of the largest burial of prehistoric modern people ever discovered. Click to enlarge.
Předmostí-burial site
Předmostí-the site of the prehistoric settlement. Click to enlarge.
Předmostí-archeological site
Předmostí-the site of the prehistoric settlement. Click to enlarge.
Předmostí-archeological site
Předmostí-the site of the prehistoric settlement. Click to enlarge.
Předmostí-archeological site
The Venus of Předmostí as depicted on an information board there. Click to enlarge.
Venus of Předmostí
The Venus of Předmostí. The original. The photo was taken on February 20, 2007, when she was on display in Národní Museum (The National Museum) in Prague on the occasion of the exhibition "Lovci mamutů" ("Mammoth Hunters"). Click to enlarge.
Venus of Předmostí-original
The Venus of Předmostí. The original. The photo was taken on February 20, 2007, when she was on display in Národní Museum (The National Museum) in Prague on the occasion of the exhibition "Lovci mamutů" ("Mammoth Hunters"). Click to enlarge.
Venus of Předmostí-original

The Venus of Předmostí - basic information

Material Engraving on a mammoth tusk
Height of the engraving 103 mm
Width of the engraving 45 mm
Age 29-31,000 years
Discovered 1895
Deposited Anthropos, Moravské zemské muzeum, Brno