On December 1 and 2, 2026, the Naturhistorisches Museum in Vienna will host "Mind over matter – The Materiality of Anthropomorphic Figurines," a workshop organized to mark the centennial of the discovery of the Venus II of Willendorf. Two days entirely dedicated to prehistoric anthropomorphic figurines, approached from different perspectives: the contexts…
See more
by Elvira Visciola Marija Gimbutas spoke of ancient Europe for the Neolithic, including a vast territory in which populations moved bringing with them their own customs and traditions which they transferred to the populations they met. In reality, although the traces are more fleeting and distant even by several thousand…
See more
by Valentina Mauriello Castelvetro is a small town located on the first hills of the Modenese Apennines, straddling the Guerro stream, a tributary of the Panaro river, famous for the beauty of the historic village and for the food and wine offer of typical Emilian products, among which Lambrusco stands out and Balsamic Vinegar. The surrounding grounds are teeming with…
See more
by Barbara Crescimanno At the Salinas Archaeological Museum in Palermo are preserved two "lozenge" idols in dark clay, about 10 cm high, dating back to the Middle Eneolithic (mid-XNUMXrd millennium BC) and found in a tomb found in front of the Park gate of the Regia Favorita, in Piazza Leoni, in the plain that…
See more
by Maria Laura Leone The famous statue of Passo di Corvo was found in the Neolithic village of the same name in the plain of Foggia, at the foot of the Gargano mountains. It has been photographed and analyzed several times, commented in various writings [1]; and portrayed in a relief that clearly highlights its symbols, described…
See more
by Roberto Marras During the now distant academic year 1989/90 I had the pleasure of following the lessons of prof. Santo Tinè, then professor of palethnology at the University of Genoa. To his credit he already boasted considerable excavating experience in his native Sicily, under the guidance of Luigi Bernabò Brea, and…
See more
by Elvira Visciola The complex of Balzi Rossi or Grimaldi, so called from the nearby village, has been the subject of numerous archaeological investigations since the mid-800th century which have brought to light paleontological and archaeological finds and evidence belonging to the various phases of the Paleolithic. The complex is located in the…
See more
by Antonella Traverso Research The Balzi Rossi caves, originally 11 in number, were already known in the 1700s, but the first to conduct scientific investigations there was Prince Florestano I of Monaco in 1846. However, the first to describe the complex stratigraphy of some of the caves…
See more
by Maria Laura Leone During the works for the reopening to the public of the Pulo di Molfetta (Bari), in 2020, two engraved pebbles emerged whose interest falls within the sphere of prehistoric art (source). The meaning of art, as we understand it today, is far from what we attribute to mass…
See more
by Francesca Principi The spiritual world of our most ancient predecessors is one of the most debated topics in the field of prehistoric studies: the sense of the sacred is a theme with elusive outlines and the difficulties increase if prehistory is taken into consideration, a period where we have…
See more