7,000-year-old statue discovery 'is first male fertility symbol'
Submitted by PaulM on Saturday, 23 August 2003 Page Views: 2662
DiscoveriesCountry: Germany Archaeologists in Germany have found what they believe is the oldest male statue discovered in Europe, dating back 7,000 years to the Neolithic period. Previously only female statues have been known.The statue, dubbed the Adonis of Zschernitz, was found on Monday during work on a gas pipe outside the town of Zschernitz, near the Polish border.
Only the torso, from around the navel to the top of the thighs, remains intact.
Judith Oexle, state archaeologist for the state of Saxony, said the piece, which has been presented to archaeologists in Dresden, measured 3in. "We think the figure was originally 25cms [10in] tall," she said.
The figure's genitals are oversized, suggesting that it was made as a fertility statue, she added.
"If so, this would force a re-think of Neolithic theory, as until now it was thought only women were seen as fertility symbols."
Miss Oexle added that she believed it was created by farmers who settled middle Europe during the Stone Age.
The Adonis also has deliberate cuts along its bottom, which, Miss Oexle said, are not indications of clothing but probably represent tattoos, at these have been seen on other figurines from the period.
The statue will go on public display in Dresden next month.
Source The Daily Telegraph 23 August 2003
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