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Ancient phallus unearthed in cave
BBC ^

Posted on 07/25/2005 8:13:47 AM PDT by traumer

A sculpted and polished phallus found in a German cave is among the earliest representations of male sexuality ever uncovered, researchers say.

The 20cm-long, 3cm-wide stone object, which is dated to be about 28,000 years old, was buried in the famous Hohle Fels Cave near Ulm in the Swabian Jura.

The prehistoric "tool" was reassembled from 14 fragments of siltstone.

Its life size suggests it may well have been used as a sex aid by its Ice Age makers, scientists report.

"In addition to being a symbolic representation of male genitalia, it was also at times used for knapping flints," explained Professor Nicholas Conard, from the department of Early Prehistory and Quaternary Ecology, at Tübingen University.

"There are some areas where it has some very typical scars from that," he told the BBC News website.

Researchers believe the object's distinctive form and etched rings around one end mean there can be little doubt as to its symbolic nature.

The Hohle Fels bird

Enlarge Image "It's highly polished; it's clearly recognisable," said Professor Conard.

The Tübingen team working Hohle Fels already had 13 fractured parts of the phallus in storage, but it was only with the discovery of a 14th fragment last year that they were able finally to work out the "jigsaw".

The different stone sections were all recovered from a well-dated ash layer in the cave complex associated with the activities of modern humans (not their pre-historic "cousins", the Neanderthals).

The dig site is one of the most remarkable in central Europe. Hohle Fels stands more than 500m above sea level in the Ach River Valley and has produced thousands of Upper Palaeolithic artefacts.

Venus of Willendorf, BBC Female forms, such as the 30,000-year-old Venus of Willendorf are more common Some have been truly exquisite in their sophistication and detail, such as a 30,000-year-old avian figurine crafted from mammoth ivory. It is believed to be one of the earliest representations of a bird in the archaeological record.

There are other stone objects known to science that are obviously phallic symbols and are slightly older - from France and Morocco, of particular note. But to have any representation of male genitalia from this time period is highly unusual.

"Female representations with highly accentuated sexual attributes are very well documented at many sites, but male representations are very, very rare," explained Professor Conard.

Current evidence indicates that the Swabian Jura of southwestern Germany was one of the central regions of cultural innovations after the arrival of modern humans in Europe some 40,000 years ago.

The Hohle Fels phallus will go on show at Blaubeuren prehistoric museum in an exhibition called Ice Art - Clearly Male.


TOPICS:
KEYWORDS: 1knappingflints; 2dontweall; ancientwanker; archaeology; ggg; godsgravesglyphs; hardasrock; history; iceage; kinkycavemen; kinkygermans; phallus
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To: pissant

tucked into sock


121 posted on 07/25/2005 10:09:43 AM PDT by Dashing Dasher ( If you want to give me a present, my size is cash..........)
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To: FormerLib
I didn't.
Every engineer knows than 1 inch = 2.54 cm exactly...
122 posted on 07/25/2005 10:09:59 AM PDT by Publius6961 (Liberal level playing field: If the Islamics win we are their slaves..if we win they are our equals.)
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To: JimWforBush
Must have been an Architect.

I will choose to assume that you mean that they used an architect for the model...

123 posted on 07/25/2005 10:10:37 AM PDT by r-q-tek86 (Mind Like A Steel Trap - Rusty And Illegal In 37 States)
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To: timsbella

HEY!


124 posted on 07/25/2005 10:10:43 AM PDT by Publius6961 (Liberal level playing field: If the Islamics win we are their slaves..if we win they are our equals.)
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To: pissant

figures...


125 posted on 07/25/2005 10:13:17 AM PDT by Publius6961 (Liberal level playing field: If the Islamics win we are their slaves..if we win they are our equals.)
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To: traumer
This answers a couple questions I had.

Now we know why the Teen Angels always hung around Captain Caveman:

And his "club" does seem to be of a similar size.

126 posted on 07/25/2005 10:14:01 AM PDT by wallcrawlr (http://www.bionicear.com)
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To: Fierce Allegiance
he seems relatively normal, for a flaky-tect

That's ALMOST a compliment. Are you geeting nicer in your old age?

127 posted on 07/25/2005 10:15:01 AM PDT by r-q-tek86 (Mind Like A Steel Trap - Rusty And Illegal In 37 States)
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To: pissant

Chuck Berry called it a "dingaling"! LOL


128 posted on 07/25/2005 10:15:08 AM PDT by MortMan (Mostly Harmless)
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To: Dashing Dasher

Oh, toes. I'm catching on....


129 posted on 07/25/2005 10:16:03 AM PDT by pissant
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To: Publius6961
your request for figures is now granted...


130 posted on 07/25/2005 10:17:33 AM PDT by pissant
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To: pissant
POGO!

My most favorite comic strip ever.

Thank you.

131 posted on 07/25/2005 10:18:34 AM PDT by Publius6961 (Liberal level playing field: If the Islamics win we are their slaves..if we win they are our equals.)
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To: MortMan

I think I recall Blind Melon Chitlin's singing about something similar! ;o)


132 posted on 07/25/2005 10:18:39 AM PDT by pissant
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To: MortMan
Chuck Berry called it a "dingaling"!

Do you think "Steeley Dan" had a stone age equivalent?

"Classic rock" at it's best!

133 posted on 07/25/2005 10:19:37 AM PDT by r-q-tek86 (Mind Like A Steel Trap - Rusty And Illegal In 37 States)
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To: pissant

no you aren't


134 posted on 07/25/2005 10:25:58 AM PDT by Dashing Dasher ( If you want to give me a present, my size is cash..........)
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To: Jersey Republican Biker Chick

8 inch long, 1.2 inch width and 4 inch circumference....that's slightly larger than average size....don't let the metric system throw you off!


135 posted on 07/25/2005 10:30:50 AM PDT by mdmathis6 (Even when a dog discovers he is barking up a wrong tree, he can still take a leak on it!)
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To: Dashing Dasher

Just don't draw me a picture!


136 posted on 07/25/2005 10:31:13 AM PDT by pissant
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To: mdmathis6

I referred to the picture and it looks mighty thin to me.


137 posted on 07/25/2005 10:33:23 AM PDT by Jersey Republican Biker Chick (People too weak to follow their own dreams, will always find a way to discourage yours.)
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To: feinswinesuksass

ouch....that thing looks like it would hurt!


138 posted on 07/25/2005 10:33:54 AM PDT by mdmathis6 (Even when a dog discovers he is barking up a wrong tree, he can still take a leak on it!)
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To: Jersey Republican Biker Chick

Yeah well it was pictured without any reference markings or scaled comparison "models" so it would be "hard" to judge just what it's true "size" was. Get a ruler and measure up 8 inches and then picture a 8 inch rectangular prism whose width and height are approximately 2 inches each...approximately the same size as the largest container box of the KY tubes available on the market(what we use in our hospital).


139 posted on 07/25/2005 10:44:03 AM PDT by mdmathis6 (Even when a dog discovers he is barking up a wrong tree, he can still take a leak on it!)
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To: pissant

PARTY POOPER


140 posted on 07/25/2005 10:44:15 AM PDT by Dashing Dasher ( If you want to give me a present, my size is cash..........)
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