CARVED IVORY BIRDS FROM HOHLE FELS CAVE:

Hohle Fels ('hollow rock') cave. Internet image, public domain.

For many years excavations have been underway at theh caves of the Ach Valley of the Swabian Jura, near Schelkiingen in southwestern Germany. These sites, particularly the caves Hohle Fels and Geissenklosterle, have produced an amazing number of carved ivory, antler and bone figurines along with other artifacts.

Interior view of Hohle Fels ('hollow rock') cave. Internet image, public domain.

“The cave site of Hohle Fels was occupied during the Aurignacian period of prehistory (43,000 to 28,000 years before present), when early humans – thrived in Europe following the disappearance of the Neanderthals. These groups created an explosion of art, some of which had never been seen before in human history, including so-called Venus figurines, musical instruments, elaborate jewelry and cave paintings. Much of this art involved drawing and carving animals that the Aurignacian people would have seen on a day-to-day basis.” (Killgrove 2025)

Ivory sculpture of a water bird from Hohle Fels ('hollow rock') cave. Internet image, public domain.

Carved ivory figure from Hohle Fels cave ('Venus of Hohle Fals'). Internet image, public domain.

Sculptures recovered from Hohle Fels include a small bird assumed to represent a water bird, animal figurines, a therianthrope known as the Lion Man, a flute (made from a vulture’s femur) and the famous Hohle Fels Venus. “The Hohle Fels bird is not the oldest figurative sculpture in Europe. That title has been taken by another discovery from the same cave in 2008: the Venus of Hohle Fels, a sculpture of a woman with exaggerated breasts and thighs, which was created 41,000 years ago.” (Killgrove 2025) On 18 July 2026 I published an article on RockArtBlog with the title “CLAVIFORM, VENUS OR STEATOPYGIA?” which questioned the enlarged buttocks seen on Paleolithic Venus figures and in some rock art, suggesting that it might represent the phenomenon of steatopygia.

Vulture femur flute from Hohle Fels cave. Photograph from LiveScience.

Does this collection of work represent the beginning of figurative sculpture in Western civilization? Ewen Calloway suggest just that. “The entire collection of ivory carvings at Hohle Fels suggests that something very new was happening around 40,000 years ago in the south German mountains, as the people who created the Aurignacian culture invented types of figurative art and music akin to what we have today.” (Killgrove 2025)

These carvings strike the modern eye as extremely interesting, as if we have not changed that much in the period between their creation in the Aurignacian and now. “There’s something magical about these pieces,’ says Nicholas Conard, an archeologist at the University of Tubingen in Germany, who has led the excavation of Hohle Fels since the late 1990s. Conard argues that the artistic capabilities on display at Hohle Fels and nearby caves mark a shift in cognitive and cultural sophistication that might have helped these humans to flourish in ice-age Europe, when other groups vanished. He now hopes to test this theory by collecting ancient DNA from the Hohle Fels cave sediments.” (Callaway 2026) This would, at least, allow him to determine whether the carvings were made by modern humans, or our predecessors in Eutope.

Newly discovered ivory sculpture of birds from Hohle Fels ('hollow rock') cave. Photograph by Ralf Ehmann, Universitat Tubingen, sharpened with chatGPT.

Newly discovered ivory sculpture of a bird from Hohle Fels ('hollow rock') cave. Photograph by Ralf Ehmann, Universitat Tubingen, sharpened with chatGPT.

Newly discovered ivory sculpture of a bird from Hohle Fels ('hollow rock') cave. Photograph by Ralf Ehmann, Universitat Tubingen, sharpened with chatGPT.

Now, new discoveries at Hohle Fels have made the news. During the  2025 field season, Alexander Janas, an archeologist at the Senckenberg Center for Human Evolution and Paleoenvironment in Tubinge, Germany, discovered two more miniature bird carvings thought to resemble ptarmigans. “This week, Janas and his colleagues announced their latest treasures: a pair of tiny bird figurines carved from mammoth ivory, and vulture bone flute fragments, discovered during the 2025 field season. The artifacts were unveiled at the Museum of Prehistory and Ice Age Art in Blaubeuren, Germany, on 29 July.” (Callaway 2026) These two new birds are indeed tiny, measuring 2 – 3 cm. each.

And, as I said above, we immediately find these birds charming. They are cute. What else might be waiting to be discovered?

NOTE: Some images in this column were retrieved from the internet with a search for public domain photographs. If any of these images are not intended to be public domain, I apologize, and will happily provide the picture credits if the owner will contact me with them. For further information on these reports you should read the original reports at the sites listed below. Additionally, some of the quotations I have included have had citations removed from their text. These can also be acquired from the original texts.

REFERENCES:

Callaway, Ewen, 2026, 40,000-year-old birk carvings provide clues to how ice age humans flourished, 29 July 2026, Nature 655 (online), 1120-1122. Accessed online 29 July 2026.

Killgrove, Kristina, 2025, Hohle Fels water bird: The oldest depiction of a bird in the world, 31 March 2025, LiveScience (online), https://www.livescience.com. Accessed online 29 July 2026.

 

WE MAY FINALLY HAVE AN EXAMPLE OF DENISOVAN ART- A LION CARVED OUT OF MAMMOTH IVORY IS ATTRIBUTED TO A DENISOVAN ARTIST:

Denisova Cave, Russia. Internet photograph, public domain.

While science still has a lot to learn about the mysterious hominids known as Denisovan after the cave in the Altai Mountains, Siberia, Russia, where they were first discovered, we now have a work of art and a number of artifacts that have been attributed to them. A small, carved piece of mammoth tusk that has been interpreted as the remaining piece of a broken carving of a cave lion (panthera spelea).

European cave lion. Image from dinotopia.com.

“This is the first such sculptural representation known in Siberia, throughout North and Central Asia, and the first zoomorphic sculpture of such antiquity. Zoomorphic figurines are known in the history of the Siberian Paleolithic, but they are usually no older than 23-21 thousand years. The age of this one is not yet established, but it is located in a stratigraphic context, which, according to the radiocarbon analysis performed at Oxford University and optically stimulated luminescence, is about 45 thousand years old. The chronology will still be specified, but the image is, in any case, not less than 30 thousand years old. This means, it is the most ancient artifact of this kind,’ says Head of the Department of Archeology of the Stone Age IAE SB RAS, Corresponding member of the Russian Academy of Sciences, Mikhail Shunkov.” (Russian Geographical Society) When the above stated “first such sculptural representation” it did not mean the first one ever discovered, many others have been previously discovered. It meant that as far as we know it may have been the first one created in that region.

Partial figurine identified as a cave lion. Image from Siberiantimes.com.

Carved figurine superimposed over a cave lion silhouette. Online image, public domain.

The figurine is carved out of mammoth ivory. The scientists believe that this means that the material had been carried to the site from 100 – 120 km away from Denisova from the Northern foothills of the Altai mountains. (Russian Academy of Sciences) Apparently there has been no evidence of mammoths within that distance of Denisova Cave to this point. This may, however, be a case of “your lack of evidence is not evidence of lack.”

Hematite crayon from Denisova Cave. Internet photograph, public domain.

“There have been other intriguing objects found within the cave. Some 30 pieces of mammoth ivory have been recovered from the cave. Among the most unique objects are fragments of a glistening green chlorite stone bracelet, beads made of ostrich eggs – and an ancient reddish-brown processed hematite ‘crayon.’” (Seidel 2019)

While the Cave Lion carving is tentatively dated to 45,000 BP by optically stimulated luminescence dating of the stratigraphic layer it was found in, many of the other recovered artifacts cannot share that age with it. One that very possibly does is the hematite ‘crayon,’ but I do not believe that the green stone bracelet can be anywhere near that age. Also carved of mammoth ivory are an eyed needle and what the discoverers are calling a tiara, a mammoth ivory piece that they interpret as a headband that tied around the forehead to keep long hair out of the wearer’s eyes. These may also be attributable to Denisovans, or may not. The reported dates are still not generally accepted, indeed, some believe that these mammoth ivory carvings are attributable to Neanderthals who lived in the Denisova Cave at a later date.

Mammoth ivory headband from Denisova Cave. Image from siberiantimes.com.

“In 2018, a simple tiara made from wooly mammoth ivory was found buried in its depths. It had a hole ground into its rounded end, where a cord was used to tie it at the back of the head. It’s been dated as having been made some 45,000 to 50,000 years ago. It was made to keep hair out of its wearer’s eyes. And it was discarded once it was broken. Was it made by the Denosivans? Or Neanderthals?” (Siedel 2019)

“Here we likely deal with another, more ancient culture, because there was not a single piece of bone belonging to a Homo Sapiens found in the cave’ Novosibirsk Institute of Archaeology and Ethnography researcher Alexander Fedorchenko told the Siberian Times. It’s a pressing question. And one not easily answered.” (Siedel 2019)

So, while at this time we cannot be certain who actually created these artifacts, the possibility that one or more of them may have been Denisovan is certainly exciting.

NOTE: Some images in this posting were retrieved from the internet with a search for public domain photographs. If any of these images are not intended to be public domain, I apologize, and will happily provide the picture credits if the owner will contact me with them. For further information on these reports you should read the original reports at the sites listed below.

REFERENCES:

Liesowska, Anna and Svetlana Skarbo, 2019, Cave Lion Figurine Made of Woolly Mammoth Tusk Found at Denisova Cave, 20 November 2019, Siberian Times, https://siberiantimes.com. Accessed online 28 March 2023.

Russian Academy of Sciences, 20 November 2019, An ancient figure of a cave lion was discovered in the Denise Cave, Siberian Division of the Russian Academy of Sciences, https://www.sbras.info. Accessed online 29 April 2023.

Russian Geographical Society, 2019, An Ancient Cave Lion Figurine Discovered in Denisova Cave, 24 November 2019, https://www.rgo.ru/en/ariticle/ancient-cave-lion-figurine-discovered-denisova-cave. Accessed online 28 March 2023.

Seidel, Jamie, 2019, Denisovan discoveries: Siberian cave studies reveal secrets of our mysterious lost ancestors, 31 January 2019, https://www.adelaidenow.com. Accessed online 8 May 2023.

 

ANOTHER BOGUS PALEOLITHIC STAR MAP - THE ACH VALLEY TUSK:

Ach Valley carved mammoth

ivory, www.astronomytrek.com.

Public domain.

There is an old piece of advice that states "if you can't say something nice about someone, don't say anything at all." This is obviously very good advice for human interaction, but there are circumstances where erroneous or dangerous ideas are being passed on, that I believe must be called out for what they are. I have recently been writing a series of columns about the theories of Dr. Michael Rappenglueck, who identifies star charts in Paleolithic art. I have tried to patiently point out what I think are the flaws in his reasoning and shown how I disagree with his conclusions. This example, however, is even shakier than the others.

The Ach Valley Tusk is a piece of mammoth ivory, recovered from Geißenklösterle Cave near Ulm, Germany, that has a human figure carved into one side and a series of 86 pits or notches cut into the other. Rappengluek identified the human figure as a star map representing the constellation Orion.

Constellation Orion star chart,

www.ancient-origins.net,

Public Domain.

"Orion is a prominent constellation located on the celestial equator and visible throughout the world. It is one of the most conspicuous and recognizable constellations in the night sky. It was named after Orion, a hunter in Greek mythology. Its brightest stars are Rigel (Beta orionis) and Betelgeuse (Alpha orionis), a blue-white and a red supergiant, respectively.

The earliest depiction that has been linked to the constellation of Orion is a prehistoric (Aurignacian) mammoth ivory carving found in a cave in the Ach valley in West Germany in 1979. Archaeologists have estimated it to have been fashioned approximately 32,000 to 38,000 years ago. The distinctive pattern of Orion has been recognized in numerous cultures around the world, and many myths have been associated with it." (wikipedia.org/wiki/Orion)

Constellation Orion, NASA,

Public Domain, atoday.org.

Writing on astronomytrek.com, Peter Christoforou, explained the proposition. According to Christoforou "Dr. Michael A. Rappengluck is well respected in academic circles, and has a solid grounding in both astronomy and the history of astronomy. In fact, Dr. Rappengluck holds an advanced degree in the History of Astronomy from the University of Munich, and he has served as the President of the Society of Archaeaoastronomy in Germany." (Christoforou 2018)

"According to research published by Dr. Rappengluck, the figure must be Orion, since the slim waist of the figure corresponds to the Belt of Orion, and the sword he sees hanging from the waist of the figure is easy to see in the real constellation. Moreover, Dr. Rappengluck is at some pains to point out that the figurines' left leg is somewhat shorter than the right leg, just as it is in the constellation. Therefore, the figure on the ivory fragment is Orion the Hunter." (Christoforou 2018) I feel I should take this opportunity to point out that the writer Peter Christoforou has gone out of his way to be fair to Rappenglueck, even if he is not convinced of the carving's identity as Orion (and I urge you to read his whole paper at the address below) he has given all the arguments, pro and con.

The usual arguments still apply, but in this case a couple of new ones come into play as well. First, thousands of bone, ivory, and antler carvings were recovered from Geißenklösterle Cave but this is the only one that portrays a constellation? To make this argument Christoforou pointed to a carving of a bison. "This figuring of a bison shows some simple bas-relief in addition to faint details like horns and a beard, despite the fact that it measures only 25.5mm x 14.5 mm x 6 mm, which is comparable to the dimensions of the human-like figure of the putative Orion star map. The original carving is housed in the Wurttemberg Landesmuseum, Stuttgart.

While the existence of this particular carving (the bison) does not prove anything beyond the fact that it shows exquisite workmanship, it is significant that neither Dr. Rappenglueck, nor any other archeaoastronomers have suggested that the figure represents the constellation Taurus, or any other constellation. Of course, this does not prove that the Orion carving is not a star map, but the point is that only one artifact from among the thousands recovered from the cave is taken to represent a constellation. By all accounts, this is rather strange considering the sheer amount of artifacts that could be taken as star maps, or representations of the objects/patterns in the night sky." (Christoforou 2018)

The other obvious problem is, of course, the sword that Rappenglueck sees hanging from the figure's belt, and that identifies him as Orion. Is it really like all the other known Paleolithic swords to be so convincing? Oh wait, what's that you say, there are no Paleolithic swords? What was I thinking of?

Another issue is the fertility connection that Rappenglueck imbues this carving with. Remember the 86 notches on the back of the carving? "The average length of human gestation is 280 days, or 40 weeks." (www.betterhealth.vic) Rappenglueck noted that if you subtract the 86 notches from the number of days in a year you have a number that is very close to the average length of modern human pregnancy. (The only references I have been able to find about the length of pregnancy in the Paleolithic period assume that it was the same as today).

"The reverse side of the Orion carving is dotted with 86 notches, which Dr. Rappanglueck claims is a "birth calendar". According to Dr. Rappenglueck, if one subtracts 86 from the number of days in a year (365), one arrives at the average human gestation period, which is around 279 days, or nine months, gave or take a few days either way. Nevertheless, this implies that the Aurignacian culture could count, that they knew how many days there were in a year, and that they understood and practiced basic arithmetic." (Christoforou 2018)

I am going to give them some benefit of the doubt here - I assume that the Aurignacian peoples could count. I find it inconceivable that they would have reached such cultural heights and overlooked counting. I even assume that they could understand and practice simple basic arithmetic. I am less convinced that they knew the number of days in a year - 12 moons, yes, but the actual number of days in a year, I don't know. This, however, makes no difference. What kind of pregnancy calculation is made by subtracting 86 days from the end of a year, when you don't know at what point the year started (when the pregnancy began)?

"Moreover, Dr. Rappenglueck also claims that the 86 notches on the carving represent the number of days that one of Orion's principal stars, Betelgeuse, is visible, thus forming a link between the sky gods and human fertility." (Christoforou 2018)

This last statement is particularly confusing because the truth is that Betelgeuse is visible all year except for June and July when they are in the sky during daylight hours. "In the Northern Hemisphere, beginning in January of each year, it can be seen rising in the east just after sunset. By mid-September to mid-March (best in mid-December), it is visible to virtually every inhabited region of the globe, except for a few research stations in Antarctica at latitudes south of 82˚. In May (moderate northern latitudes) or June (southern latitudes), the red supergiant can be seen briefly on the western horizon after sunset, reappearing again a few months later on the eastern horizon before sunrise. In the intermediate period (June-July) it is invisible to the naked eye (visible only with a telescope in daylight) - - . " (wikipedia.org/wiki/Betelgeuse)

All in all, this Orion figurine is the most egregious of Rappenglueck's claimed identifications of Paleolithic star maps, and I find it totally unbelievable.

NOTE: The pictures in this posting were retrieved from the internet with a search for public domain images. If they were not meant to be public domain please contact me and I will give full credit.

REFERENCES:

Christoforou, Peter

2018 Is the Ach Valley Tusk-fragment an Ancient Star Map?, March 2, 2018, https://www.astronomytrek.com/is-the-ach-valley-tusk-fragnebt-an-ancient-star-map/

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Betelgeuse

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Orion_(constellation)

https://www.betterhealth.vic.gov.au/health/healthyliving/baby-due-date

NASA

www.ancient-origins.net

www.astronomytrek.com