Stone Age Venus figurines were totems of survival, not sex, study suggests
By
Megan Marples, CNN
enablePagination: false
endIndex:
(CNN) A new theory about the iconic Venus figurines has suggested that the sculptures represent how climate change affected humans over 30,000 years ago.
The Venus figurines are statuettes depicting obese women that, up until now, were thought to have been associated with fertility and beauty. A recent study published in Obesity has suggested instead that the figurines are totems of survival in extreme conditions.
Unlike the challenges of global warming people face today, humans 38,000 to 14,000 years ago struggled with colder temperatures due to advancing glaciers. This made it harder for people to meet their nutritional needs, and population sizes began to dwindle, according to the study.