An international team of researchers has found that Stone Age carvers used the natural growth lines in mammoth tusks to create ornaments on figurines, infohub.kz reports.
According to Good News Network, scientists from the University of York and the University of Stavanger, working with the National Museum of the History of Ukraine, studied 18 so-called "Venus" figurines found at the Mezin site in the Chernihiv region. The mammoth-ivory figurines date back about 18,000 years.
Analysis using microscopy and 3D modeling showed that Ice Age craftsmen did not treat the ivory as a blank canvas. They carefully studied the structure of the material and reproduced the patterns of Schreger and Owen lines — the natural growth rings of the tusk.
The geometric designs, zigzags and meanders on the surface of the figurines closely followed the internal structure of the ivory. The ancient carvers first outlined the contour and then deepened it using flint tools.
The discovery changes archaeologists' understanding of the development of Paleolithic art in Europe. The keen observation of ancient people allowed them to harmoniously combine the natural form of the material with their artistic intent.