During the work of arranging the roof of the excavation area, which took place in 1973, this pebble was found inside a hollowed niche on the wall, about one meter away from the place where the stone was found. figurine (Venus) of Gaban and the historiated handle. Along with this object were also found a burnt caprovino skull, a large deer spatula and a rectangular bone plate decorated with geometric motifs which has through holes at both ends.
The calcite pebble is of the round phallic type, smoothed by abrasion and engraved with a flint flake. An anthropomorphic figure is represented on the front face with well-defined facial features, the eyes and mouth highlighted with a double concentric oval, the nose connected to the eyebrow arches with a "T" pattern and on the sides two "C" patterned ears ”. Under the face descend two long appendages, perhaps the arms or breasts, which delimit a central space with engraved reticulated lozenges; below a double triangle with opposite vertices and two small ovals connected by a thin line. The context of the find has led to hypothesize the use of the object as a propitiatory offering, but we are not sure of the figure represented: it could be a female figure (for the detail of the pubic triangle) or male or even a fish (the detail of the lip swollen is similar to fish-shaped bone plate). This object is the most problematic found in the Gaban site, since it is difficult to compare it with other finds found on site or in cultural areas of northern Italy. In this regard, Gimbutas reports: “… A stylized fish-shaped statuette found in the most ancient Neolithic layer of the Gaban refuge, in northern Italy, highlights two reticular lozenges on the chest between the breasts of the Deity. A triangle, some V's and a cross band are engraved just below the lattice boxes. Her face has an inhuman round fish mouth and large staring eyes. There is a symbolic correspondence with the Gaban statuette in the egg-shaped sculptures, with half-human and half-fish facial features, of Lepenski Vir, in northern Yugoslavia, sometimes decorated with watercourse motifs…” (M. Gimbutas, 2008).





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