science

Venus of Laussel

Venus of Laussel is a science topic covered in the lgStudy science library. This page brings together a partial reference excerpt, illustrations, worked examples, real-world applications and a short study plan, so you can understand Venus of Laussel rather than just read about it. In short: The Venus of Laussel is an 18.11-inch-high (46.0-centimetre) limestone bas-relief of a nude woman. It is painted with red ochre and was carved into the limestone of a rock shelter (Abri de Laussel) in Marquay, Dordogne, southwestern France.

Key takeaways

Venus of Laussel belongs to science; place it in that map before memorising details.
Learn the definition first, then one example that makes the definition concrete.
Connect Venus of Laussel to a quantity you can measure, compute or draw — that is where exam questions come from.
Reproduce the core statement of Venus of Laussel from memory before moving on to harder problems.

Reference excerpt

The Venus of Laussel is an 18.11-inch-high (46.0-centimetre) limestone bas-relief of a nude woman. It is painted with red ochre and was carved into the limestone of a rock shelter (Abri de Laussel) in Marquay, Dordogne, southwestern France. Approximately 25,000 years old, the carving is associated with the Gravettian culture of the Upper Paleolithic. It is currently displayed in the Musée d'Aquitaine in Bordeaux, France.

Description The figure holds a bison horn, or possibly a cornucopia, in one hand, which has thirteen notches. She has large breasts, a great stomach, and wide hips. There is a "Y" on her thigh and her faceless head is turned toward the horn. The lower relief was covered in red ochre.

Discovery and display The relief was discovered in 1911 by Jean-Gaston Lalanne, a physician. It was carved into large block of limestone in a rock shelter (abri de Laussel) at the commune of Marquay in the Dordogne department of south-western France. The limestone block fell off the wall of the shelter. It was brought to the Musée d'Aquitaine in Bordeaux.

Meaning The figure and the horn are considered significant in figurative studies of Paleolithic art. There are many similarly formed Venus figurines, such as the Venus of Willendorf, and other representations of female figures, said to be of potential significance in Eurasian prehistoric religion. Some suggest the color and the number of notches on the horn may symbolize the number of lunar months or menstrual cycles in one year, or the number of days from menstruation to ovulation.

See also Art of the Upper Paleolithic List of Stone Age art

References

Further reading Eisler, Riane (1995), Sacred Pleasure: Sex, Myth, and the Politics of the Body, HarperCollins Publishers Inc., NY. Marshack, Alexander (1971). The Roots of Civilization, Moyer Bell Ltd, Mount Kisco, NY.

External links

Pictures of the Venus of Laussel and further reliefs from Laussel

Illustrations

Worked examples

Example 1 — a first encounter with Venus of Laussel

Start with the simplest possible case. Write down what Venus of Laussel claims or describes in one sentence, then invent the smallest concrete situation in which that sentence is true. In science, the smallest case is usually a single object, a single equation or a single measurement. Check that every symbol or term in your sentence has a meaning in that case.

Example 2 — changing one variable

Take the situation from Example 1 and change exactly one quantity: double it, halve it, or set it to zero. Predict what should happen to Venus of Laussel before you calculate. Comparing your prediction with the result is the fastest way to find out whether you understand the idea or only the words.

Example 3 — an exam-style question

Typical questions about Venus of Laussel ask you to (a) state it precisely, (b) apply it to given data, and (c) explain a limitation. Practise writing all three answers in under five minutes; the third part is what separates a full-mark answer from an average one.

Applications of Venus of Laussel

In research: Venus of Laussel appears in science research whenever the underlying quantities have to be modelled precisely. Papers usually cite it as a starting assumption and then explore where it breaks down.
In technology and industry: Engineering practice reuses Venus of Laussel in design rules, simulations and safety margins. Knowing the idea lets you read a specification sheet and understand why the numbers look the way they do.
In the classroom: Venus of Laussel is common in secondary-school and first-year university syllabi. It links to neighbouring topics 1911 archaeological discoveries, Archaeological discoveries in France, Dordogne, so understanding it makes those chapters shorter.
In everyday life: Look for Venus of Laussel outside the textbook — in sport, cooking, traffic, electronics or the sky above you. An example you found yourself is remembered far longer than one you were given.

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How to study Venus of Laussel in 20 minutes

Read the reference excerpt below once, without taking notes.
Close the page and write down what Venus of Laussel means in your own words.
Compare your version with the excerpt and mark what you missed.
Work through the three examples above with pen and paper.
Explain Venus of Laussel out loud to somebody else — or to Teacher Smith in the lgStudy chat.

Frequently asked questions

What is Venus of Laussel in simple terms?

Why does Venus of Laussel matter?

Because it connects several science ideas at once: it gives you a definition you can apply, a quantity you can calculate, and a way to check whether a result is plausible.

How should I study Venus of Laussel?

Read the excerpt, restate it from memory, then work through the examples and applications listed on this page. The five-step study plan above takes about twenty minutes.

What does this page cover?

It gives you a compact reference excerpt plus original lgStudy explanations, examples, applications and study material on Venus of Laussel.