Flora Unveiled

The Discovery of Sex j 21

21 21

(see Table 2.1) coincides with the occurrence of tools and implements, including eyed

needles, associated with sewing, weaving, and net- making. Some needles were large

enough to have been used for sewing hides and leather, but others are quite small and

thus were probably used for stitching and embroidering cloth.^27

The discovery of representations of plant- based textiles on some of the Venus figurines

has profound implications for gender and the status of women in Paleolithic society. An

impressive body of ethnographic data on hunter- gatherer societies supports the notion that

women are closely associated with the harvesting and processing of plant materials, as well

as with the transformation of processed plant material into more complex products, such

as textiles and baskets. The labor- intensive nature of the textiles and their surprisingly high

quality suggest that wearing such clothing was a mark of prestige and possibly part of a

sacred ritual. Textiles evidently became an important commodity in the new economy of

the Gravettian period.

In addition to cloth used for clothing and ritual occasions, evidence for plant fiber- based

nets for hunting small animals has also been found at the same sites. Mary Stiner and col-

leagues have documented the critical importance of small game and fish to the economy and

A

B C

(^0) cm 3
cm
0 5
cm
0 5
cm
0 5
cm
0 5
(^0) cm (^30) cm 3
D
Figure 2.4 Headgear and clothing made from textiles as seen in Venus figurines. A. Venus
of Willendorf. B. Low skirt from Venus of Lespugue, posterior view. C. Front and back views of
Venus of Kostenki, showing bandeaux attached to straps. D. Fabric belt around waist of a possibly
pregnant female.
From Soffer, O., J. M. Adovasio, and D. C. Hyland (2000), The “Venus” figurines. Textiles, basketry, gender,
and status in the upper Paleolithic. Current Anthropology 41:511– 537.