Small figurines made from fired clay belonging to the Gravettian (Pavlovian) culture (30–25 ka cal BP) represent one of the main forms of spectacular Palaeolithic art. The most well-known example is the Venus from Dolní Věstonice I in the Czech Republic, which is the biggest and best-preserved human figurine made from clay. Due to its high cultural value, exploration of the internal structures of this figurine has represented a huge challenge, as only non-destructive methods could be applied. Thanks to tremendous technological advancements, we were able to use high-resolution micro-CT imaging. This imaging revealed the structural compositions of the ceramic paste, the technology of the statuette's shaping procedure, and the taphonomy of this piece of art. We reveal that the ceramic paste was prepared from loess sediment containing stones, microfossils, and carbonate aggregates from the basement complex as an natural admixture. The particles are randomly distributed. We did not find any bones or ivory remnants inside the body. Missing joined areas of different parts of the body of the Venus indicate that the figurine was made from a single piece of clay using the non-additive method of shaping. The internal cracks in the body of the Venus statuette represent the main feature of its taphonomy and influence the way it will be manipulated in the future.

中文翻译：

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Dolní Věstonice（捷克共和国）烧制粘土金星的微型计算机断层扫描


由属于格拉维特（巴甫洛夫）文化（距今 30-25 ka cal BP）的烧制粘土制成的小雕像代表了壮观的旧石器时代艺术的主要形式之一。最著名的例子是捷克共和国 Dolní Věstonice I 的维纳斯，它是最大、保存最完好的粘土人像。由于其极高的文化价值，对这个雕像的内部结构的探索是一个巨大的挑战，因为只能采用非破坏性的方法。得益于巨大的技术进步，我们能够使用高分辨率显微 CT 成像。该成像揭示了陶瓷浆料的结构成分、小雕像的成型工艺技术以及这件艺术品的埋藏学。我们发现陶瓷浆料是由黄土沉积物制成的，其中含有石头、微化石和来自基底复合体的碳酸盐骨料作为天然混合物。粒子是随机分布的。我们在尸体内没有发现任何骨头或象牙残留物。维纳斯身体不同部位缺少连接区域，表明该雕像是由一整块粘土采用非加成成型方法制成的。维纳斯小雕像体内的内部裂缝代表了其埋藏学的主要特征，并影响着它未来的操纵方式。