Caves & Ice Age art (Swabian Jura)

Type: Caves (Art)

The Aurignacian cultural epoch lasted from around 42,000 BC. to 31,000 BC on. The finds from the caves of the Swabian Jura, which are among the oldest artefacts of human artistic creation that have ever been found, come from this so-called younger Paleolithic period. In terms of climate history, this was the last Ice Age in southern Germany. There are six caves to visit at this last end of the Jura Mountains (Swabian Jura). Finds from the UNESCO-listed caves include animal figurines (pictured above), musical instruments and personal jewellery. Other figures sometimes show fantasy creatures that are half animal and half human. These impressive archaeological finds shed light on the origins of human artistic development. The caves include: Hohler Fels, Sirgenstein Cave, Geißenklösterle, Bockstein Cave, Hohlenstein-Stadel and Vogelherd Cave.