Spectrum of Science

When some ivory fragments were discovered in the Hohle Fels cave in 2008, it became clear: Humans had created the figure of a naked woman around 40,000 years ago, in a style previously known only from the later Paleolithic period. The Venus of Willendorf, the Venus of Lespugue, the figurines from Kostjonki, and now the Venus from Hohle Fels in the Swabian Jura. A major sensation, judged the excavator Nicholas Conard from the University of Tübingen. The question remained: Who or what do these statuettes represent? For decades, various interpretations have emerged - from a symbol of fertility, the embodiment of a great goddess, to the idea that the hunter-gatherers of European Paleolithic might have lived in a matriarchy. Science historian Claudine Cohen from the École des hautes études en sciences sociales in Paris explains what can be substantiated about this notion - and what cannot. Not so long ago, around 150 years ago, the story of two German companies began. With them, the town of Alfeld in Lower Saxony became the center of a global wildlife trade. Our author Hakan Baykal reports on the brutal business with the animals. Wishing you an enlightening read, Karin Schlott, Editorial Team of Spektrum der Wissenschaft.