“New” Goddess Figure Puts in Appearance at Symposium

When ASWM members met in Madison, WI, on the morning of May 14, we could feel  excitement buzzing in the room even before the presentations started.  Several women had just heard about the discovery of a Paleolithic goddess figure in Germany, and they were sharing her image on their phones and computers!

The Paleolithic Hohle Fels Figure

The story and image of the Hohle Fels figure hit the media just as we were meeting.  Carbon dating suggests that this ivory goddess was made at least 35,000 years ago, making her one of the oldest sculpted representations of the human figure.

Among sensationalized and sexist accounts in the media, here is one well-written article from the Science Daily web site:  http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2009/05/090514084126.htm

Mythic Images from Sadberk Museum

This website is the place for some of our favorite mythic images–artifacts, art, and sacred sites–from members’ collections.  We will only share them with members!

1. Our Girls in Büyükdere (three Neolithic Anatolian goddess figures from the Sadberk Hanim Museum outside of Istanbul), shared by Sid Reger from a visit to Turkey in 2006. I haven’t seen a detailed discussion of these three ladies, but I know they are from Hacilar.

Sadberk is a small private museum not to be missed–one lovely boat ride away from Istanbul. The museum itself has won architectural awards for blending Ottoman yeli style with a modern expansion.

Neolithic goddesses, Sadberk Museum, outside of Istanbul