Lion-man Pendant - Archaeology Jewelry

 The Lion-man (Löwenmensch) pendant is inspired by a figurine found in the cave Hohlenstein Stadel in Germany. Made of mammoth ivory, the Lion-man dates to approximately 40,000 BCE making it the oldest example of figurative art. It is also the oldest known sculpture resembling an animal. It was found in a cache of other objects including jewelry, beads and animal teeth with holes drilled into them. The figurine stands 31 cm (about one foot) tall so it probably wasn’t jewelry itself but could have been a ritual object. The people who carved this figurine were the Aurignacians, Homo sapiens who migrated from Africa to Europe and became the first modern humans (i.e., humans that look like us) on the European continent. The lion motif was probably an interpretation of the European cave lion, Panthera spelaea, which went extinct 13,000 years ago but would have roamed Europe at the time of the Aurignacians. ⁣

The pendant is 2.4 cm (0.94 inches) long below the loop.

Chain not included. If you would like to purchase a chain along with this pendant, please click on the "ADD A CHAIN" button below the material dropdown. The internal measurement of the bail loop of the pendant is 3.7 mm wide by 5 mm long.