The Venus figurines of Europe — the most famous of which is the Venus of Willendorf from Austria, dated to around 30,000 years ago — are part of the same broader tradition of representing the female human form in carved stone, bone, and ivory during the Upper Paleolithic period.

That the same tradition appears in Siberia, at a similar or slightly later period, raises important questions about the cultural connections and shared heritage of Upper Paleolithic communities across a vast geographic range.

Whether the figurines represent goddesses, ancestors, idealized human forms, or something else entirely is a question that archaeologists have debated for more than a century without reaching consensus.

The female body is certainly emphasized — the figurines typically show prominent breasts, hips, and buttocks, with less attention to the face, hands, and feet.