Perhaps most dramatic, for our purposes, were the magico-religious transformations. Humanity did not always make sculpture, but when they did (around 30-25,000 years ago) one of the first things they made were images of well- nourished women such as this. Interpreting the significance of art at such a remove from ourselves is of course problematic, but it seems likely that wealth and prosperity, and thus stability and fertility, were seen as one in the eyes of early people. Indeed, there are still areas of the world where such beliefs persist, where a large frame indicates a comfortable background and a good “bet” for matrimonial and reproductive purposes. One might also hazard that the huge investment of time and energy needed to make a figure such as this would not have been expended on a whim. The Neolithicvillage of Catal Huyuk is famous for producing works such as this, as well astheearliest“cult” behaviour in the form of white-plastered temples seemingly dedicated to a divinity symbolised by bulls. The temple of Stonehenge is a notable example of the social changes being wrought, and there are hundreds of similar structures that appeared across Europe in the wake of the Linearbandkeramik (LBK) culturethatdistinguished the Neolithicfarmersfromtheir Mesolithicpredecessors.Neolithic Fertility Goddess-AM.0099(LSO)Origin:Anatolia Circa:6000BCto4000BCDimensions:5.9"(15.0cm)high Collection: Near Eastern Style: Neolithic Medium: Stone

Antiquities
Ancient Near East