This image is a 25,000-year-old Paleolithic engraving of a woman found deep within the Cussac Cave (Grotte de Cussac) in the Dordogne region of southwestern France. Often referred to by archaeologists as a “Venus” figure, the engraving is part of a significant collection of prehistoric art and human remains discovered in September 2000 by amateur cave explorer Marc Delluc.
The cave is located in the Dordogne River valley and spans approximately 1.6 kilometers (roughly one mile). There are over 150 Paleolithic artworks in the cave, primarily engravings of animals such as woolly mammoths, bison, rhinoceroses, and horses, alongside several stylized feminine forms.
The engravings date to the Gravettian era, a period of the Upper Paleolithic known for its distinct stone tool industry and the creation of “Venus figurines.” Cussac is rare because it contains both prehistoric art and human remains (at least six individuals) dating to the same period, suggesting it served as both a gallery and a sacred burial site.
The engraving depicts a woman with a voluptuous figure, which scholars often interpret as a symbol of fertility and prosperity within ancient hunter-gatherer societies. Its artistic style, featuring amplified forms, is consistent with other contemporary Paleolithic sites like the Pech-Merle Cave. Due to the density and quality of its engravings, Cussac is considered as archaeologically significant for engraving as the famous Lascaux Cave is for painting.
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