Head-fragment of a "Venus of Valdivia"

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Description

burnished clay, characteristic bonnet-shaped hairdo, incised physiognomy;
people used to stick such figures in the ground of their cropland. This ritual “burial” of the magical idols should strengthen Mother-Earth and encourage her fertility. Quite frequently the figurines were found broken to pieces on purpose, often only their heads were left. Research calls this an act of “ritual killing”.

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Comparing literature

Hoffmann, Ulrich (Hg.), Frauen des alten Amerika in Kult und Alltag, Stuttgart 2001, p. 25 f.

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