Special exhibition at the Museum of Prehistory Blaubeuren - Germany

It is THE animal of the last ice age. The woolly mammoth. An imposing giant that influenced the lives of humans 40,000 years ago in the Swabian Jura in many ways. Among others, they inspired artistic creation. This led to the creation of miniature versions of the giants that are made of mammoth ivory. But many other animals were also immortalised in this way. The predators of that time, apart from humans, like big cats such as cave lions also left their mark. They appear frequently in Ice Age art.

To mark our latest additions in the Museum of Prehistory, the small mammoth and the cave lion from the world-famous Vogelherd site in the Lone Valley, part of the World Heritage Site ‘Caves and Ice Age Art of the Swabian Alb’, we are displaying these two side by side and at the same time opposite each other.

They can be seen in a VORSCHAU (engl. PREVIEW) at the URMU until 1 March 2026. This preview gives visitors an insight into the history of research at the Vogelherd site. It is accompanied by the voices of scientists who have studied Ice Age art and the world from which it originated in their respective fields.

The Lone Valley is one of the typical wide valleys of the Alb plateau. Stone Age settlements have been preserved in its caves. The sites include Vogelherd, Hohlenstein and Bockstein. During the Palaeolithic Age, both Neanderthals and, later on, early anatomically modern humans lived here.

The Vogelherd Cave was completely excavated in 1931. Today, no stratigraphic layers or exposed profiles remain. The back dirt from the excavation was dumped in front of the cave at the time. Although the excavation technique used at the time was state of the art, it is insufficient by today's standards. This led to the assumption that there were still finds lying in the back dirt from the first excavation. Work on the Vogelherd resumed in 2005. Under the direction of Tübingen archaeologist Prof. Nicholas J. Conard, excavation campaigns were carried out until 2023, during which the material that had been shovelled out of the cave in 1931 was excavated and examined. These excavations were very successful. During the 2006 excavation campaign, the mammoth and the cave lion were discovered.

The mammoth figure shows all the typical characteristics of a mammoth. Small ears and eyes are indicated on the head. The bases of the tusks are also marked. The front legs are stocky and appear longer than the hind legs. The back line resembles that of a young animal. It is believed that calves were hunted by humans in the Late Palaeolithic period. Their small milk tusks have been found at settlement sites such as Vogelherd. The figurine is decorated on the forehead and soles of the feet.

The lion figurine is 5.6 centimetres long and not completely preserved. It is broken lengthwise along its central axis. The second half has not yet been discovered. The figurine shows the posture of a lion lying in wait. In this posture, big cats stalk their prey and can strike with lightning speed and give chase. A series of 30 crosses runs from the neck along the back line to the rear. The figure's shoulder is decorated with vertical notches.

There are various interpretations of these art objects. Are they ritual objects intended to ensure hunting success? Do they manifest attributes such as strength, ‘power and aggression’? Was the belief system of our ancestors shaped by animistic ideas, or did they have another metaphorical meaning? What meanings could the decorations on the figurines have? Some of the 12 researchers whose contributions are part of this special exhibition explore these interpretative hypotheses. They consider all possibilities – from prehistoric interpretation to experimental methods and cultural cosmology.

While interpreting this oldest known figurative art is an ongoing attempt to arrive at the most likely scenario, findings from palaeogenetics, isotope analysis and archaeozoology can provide more concrete results regarding the environment at that time, the influence of these animals on flora and fauna, and their interaction with humans.

As can be seen, there is great potential in the collaboration between these different disciplines. Life at that time and the fact that our ancestors created art 40,000 years ago is being examined and studied from a wide variety of perspectives, so that more and more pieces of this almost mystical puzzle are being put together, enlarging the picture and making it clearer. However, it is doubtful whether all the pieces of the puzzle will ever be found. Perhaps some have been lost over the thousands of years.

This should not deter researchers and anyone else who is interested from trying to find out who we are and where we come from. With this very special addition to our permanent exhibition, we are once again delighted to be able to present and highlight the uniqueness and beauty of this earliest art.

From 2027, the two figurines will permanently join our collection. Until March next year, they will be on display in our VORSCHAU. Afterwards, they will be given a short rest, so that we can design and prepare for their final installation.