The excavation activities carried out near the village of Willendorf in Austria in August 1908 resulted in one of the most notable discoveries related to prehistoric art in history. In the course of archaeological works at the site of an ancient settlement located beside the Danube River, Johann Veran discovered a small figurine that was about 11 centimeters tall, covered with chalk, and had patterns in the form of dots around the head region.
As per the Natural History Museum Vienna, the artifact was identified as the Venus of Willendorf and believed to be approximately 29,500 years old. The discovery of the figurine attracted much attention due to the fact that the artifact was stylized but still clearly represented a human image. The sculpture depicted a naked woman with an oversized body and patterns in the head region of the figure.
