Vogelherd Cave

Vogelherd Cave is a Paleolithic archaeological site in the Swabian Jura of Baden-Württemberg, Germany, noted for its early figurative art carved in mammoth ivory. The carved objects are assigned to the Aurignacian and date to roughly 40,000 years ago.

Excavations recovered a series of small animal figurines - horses, mammoths and other species - typically only a few centimetres long, which rank among the earliest known examples of figurative art in Europe. The assemblage has played a key role in understanding symbolic behaviour in the Upper Paleolithic.

The cave was excavated in the early 20th century, with major work beginning in 1931 under archaeologists working in the Lone valley. Finds are integral to studies of the Aurignacian technocomplex and to comparisons of early modern human art across Europe.

Vogelherd is located in the Lone valley near the town of Niederstotzingen in the Swabian Jura of southwestern Germany.

• Small ivory figurines: Most carved objects from Vogelherd are made from mammoth ivory and measure only a few centimetres in length.
• UNESCO World Heritage: Included in the UNESCO World Heritage listing for the Swabian Jura caves and Ice Age art, highlighting its importance for Paleolithic portable art studies.

What to See #

• Vogelherd Horse: A small carved animal figurine in mammoth ivory, one of the site's most cited finds and only a few centimetres long.
• Mammoth figurine: An ivory carving of a mammoth included in the Aurignacian portable art assemblage, demonstrating detailed animal depiction in early Upper Paleolithic art.