The Gravettian technocomplex, spanning c. 33,000–23,000 BP, represents a pan-European Upper Palaeolithic cultural horizon defined by shared lithic technologies (especially backed blades and burins), elaborate personal ornaments, and distinctive burial practices. It extended from Western Europe (notably France and Italy) through Central Europe (Czech Republic, Austria) into Eastern Europe and parts of Siberia. The Gravettian is especially renowned for its prolific production of Venus figurines, which appear in both portable sculpture and relief forms, often with stylised representations of the female form emphasising reproductive features. These include iconic examples such as the Venus of Willendorf, the Venus of Dolní Věstonice, and the fragment from Obłazowa Cave in Poland. The figurines have been interpreted variously as fertility symbols, representations of social identity, or ritual objects (Soffer et al., 2000; Gamble, 2009).
