Woolly rhinoceros grazed the grassy steppe land of central Europe alongside mammoths. They used their long front horns to brush snow off the grass during winter. Woolly rhinos had two horns but only the distinctive front horn is modelled on this baked clay head. The nostrils and lips are well defined but at first glance the eye appears to be in the wrong place where there is an oval indentation on the line of the upper jaw. However, higher up and correctly positioned above the upper jaw line there is a slight bump with a smaller C-shaped hollow where the eye, well protected by thick lids and long lashes, should be.

Dolní Vestonice, Moravia, Czech Republic.

Brno Museum, Czech Republic.

Culture taking its name from the La Gravette site, Dordogne, France, and lasted from about 28,000 years ago until 22,000 years ago. Original elements in Gravettian cave art include the use of hand stencils, and the type of female statuette widely but incorrectly known as 'Venus' first appear in the portable art of this period.

Source: Dr Jean Clottes

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