The Oldest Figurative Art in Existence

Via: loewenmensch.de

The Lion Man of Hohlenstein Stadel is a small statuette found in a German cave in 1939. Made of mammoth ivory and standing 11.7 inches (29.6 cm) tall, the anthropomorphic figure was carved using a flint knife. Currently housed in Germany's Ulmer Museum, many details are still visible; the upturned mouth seen as plainly as the seven stripes carved down the left arm.

Gazing at the nuances of the figurine, it might be difficult to absorb just how old Lion Man and its creator are. Carbon dating has determined this sculpture to be about 40,000 years old, making it both the oldest example of figurative art in the world, and the oldest known animal sculpture ever discovered.