9781422287132

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SCULPTING

Olmec sculptures of enormous heads like this were created more than three thousand years ago.

found in Austria. The tiny Venus is 25,000 years old and carved out of limestone. The sculpture is of a round woman, who represents fertility and life. She is an example of an early religious piece of art. The Venus of Willendorf is just one of many fertility sculptures people have found around the world. Other prehistoric sculptures have been found carved into figures of horses, rhinoceroses, lions, birds, and other animals. Most are made out of stones, while some are carved from wooly mammoth ivory. All prehistoric sculptures that have been found so far are small. Peo- ple moved from place to place, following the animals they hunted. They had to be able to carry everything, including their art works, with them.