Human Succession

A real explosion of artistic expression happened around 35,000 years ago – yet evidence of this is still extremely rare. Among the most famous are the grandiose paintings in caves in France and the Iberian Peninsula as well as the carved ivory figures from the Swabian Alps.

In Central Germany there are numerous echoes of this, some of which indicate intensive connections with distant European regions.

The extremely stylised female figurines from Nebra document these far-reaching movements and contacts between Ice Age hunting groups. They are a reflection of common ancestors and symbols.

We know of various engraved slates from an open-air site near Saaleck in the Burgenland district. Two of them show representations of horse heads. The realistic rendering of the animal figures testifies to the familiarity of the Ice Age people with their environment and to their great craftsmanship.