14 June 2025 The Future is the Product of the Past

3000-year-old clay figurine discovered in Germany may be a prehistoric water goddess

Archaeologists have discovered a rare clay figurine thought to represent a prehistoric water goddess in the Schweinfurt region of Germany.

Archaeologists found the clay figure in an old stream in the Schweinfurt region, on the edge of the Unkenbach plain that is now Mönchstockheim. Hallstatt-era settlers probably used this stream to draw water between the 8th and 6th centuries BC.

The Hallstatt culture derives its name from where objects characteristic of the Late Bronze Age and early Iron Age (from1100 BC) were first described in the Upper Austrian Salzkammergut region. And the term Hallstatt now refers generally to late Bronze and early Iron Age culture in central and western Europe.

The artifact is currently being studied at the Bavarian State Office for the Preservation of Monuments, where it is also gently cleaned and dried using airbrush water technology.

Photo: Bavarian State Office for the Preservation of Monuments

During the construction work of the Mönchstockheim ring road, finds such as glass fragments, pottery, tools made of bone, and a clay stamp were discovered, along with a clay figure found in a small gutter.

The ceramic finds exhibit no indication of rounded weathering due by hydraulic pressure, suggesting that they were placed in the gully on purpose as offerings. The pottery has been dated to the 8th to 6th centuries BC, which corresponds to the Hallstatt period.

The clay figurine stands at only 19cm tall. The sculpture’s delicately modeled face is striking: the eye sockets, nose, lips, and chin are clearly visible. It is missing the legs and front surface of the upper body. Each side of the head has 5 perforated holes from the height of the lower chin to above the eyeline, possibly representing a hood decorated with metal rings.

Although today the figurine is 19 cm, it was probably 10 cm higher in its original form. Since the anterior surface of the upper body is missing, body shape does not provide any information about gender. Despite this, the title of the statue is attributed to women.

Clay stamp. Photo: Bavarian State Office for the Preservation of Monuments

“This type of clay figurine is known, for example, from the Western Black Sea region and is dated to the 5th millennium BC. However, other finds point to a much younger dating of the figurine. All this leaves a lot of room for future interpretation,” says Dr. Stefanie Berg, archaeological monument conservator in charge of the Bavarian State Department for the Protection of Monuments.

The pattern of a clay stamp from the same site is also extremely unusual. Because the printing surface is curved inward, experts assume it was used to decorate organic materials such as bread dough. Experiments with a replica by researchers at the Bavarian State Department for the Protection of Monuments also support this view.

Bavarian State Office for the Preservation of Monuments

Cover Photo: Bavarian State Office for the Preservation of Monuments

Related Articles

Archaeologists unearth first archaeological evidence about Anatolia’s mysterious Kaska community, sworn enemies of the Hittites

16 January 2025

16 January 2025

In the course of the excavations conducted by Zonguldak Bülent Ecevit University‘s Department of Archaeology, artifacts from the Late Bronze...

Assyrian seal found in the ancient Kef Fortress built by the Urartians

18 November 2024

18 November 2024

An alabaster seal, believed to be from the Assyrian Empire and belonging to a nobleman, was discovered in the ancient...

2,000-Year-Old Dancing Man Statuette Unearthed in Siberia

6 May 2021

6 May 2021

During excavations for a new bridge over the Ob River in Novosibirsk, Russia’s third-largest district, a ten-centimeter-tall figurine was discovered....

Archaeologists conducting excavations at the Roman Fort of Apsaros in Georgia, found evidence of the Legion X Fretensis

27 May 2023

27 May 2023

Polish scientists discovered that Legion X Fretensis, known for its brutal suppression of Jewish uprisings, was stationed in the early...

A very Rare Medieval Pocket Sundial Discovered in Germany

31 July 2023

31 July 2023

A rare Medieval sundial, which is approximately the size of a matchbox was discovered in the old town of Marburg,...

1,000-Year-Old Mass Grave in Peru Shows Victims Bludgeoned with Star-Headed Maces

26 May 2025

26 May 2025

Archaeologists from the University of Wrocław have uncovered a 1,000-year-old mass grave at the El Curaca site in southern Peru,...

The Discovery of a Bronze Age Game Board in Azerbaijan Challenges the Origin of One of the World’s Oldest Games

30 August 2024

30 August 2024

A new archaeological study revealed that an ancient board of a game, known as “Hounds and Jackals” or the “Game...

Experts believe the 7,000-year-old circular stone structures were once houses, complete with doorways and roofs in Saudi Arabia

16 July 2024

16 July 2024

Archaeologists have excavated eight ancient “standing stone circles” in Saudi Arabia that they say were used as houses. Eight of...

Unveiling the Secrets of the “Air-Dried Chaplain”: A Unique Mummification Method Discovered in Austria

4 May 2025

4 May 2025

Researchers investigating a remarkably well-preserved mummy discovered in the church crypt of St. Thomas am Blasenstein, a small village in...

Earliest evidence of forest management discovered at the La Draga Neolithic site in Spain

19 July 2023

19 July 2023

Archaeologists have discovered the earliest evidence of forest management at the La Draga Neolithic site in northeastern Spain. A scientific...

Ancient Mythical Castle “Sörby Borg” Discovered on Swedish Island Creates Archaeological Sensation

4 August 2021

4 August 2021

A text from the early 18th century mentions the castle, which has become a bit of a legend. It has...

A Thousand-Year-Old Iron Age-old grave in Finland Is Ascribed to a Prominent Non-Binary Person

10 August 2021

10 August 2021

Archaeologists found a weapon grave in Finland’s Suontaka Vesitorninmäki in 1968. The remains discovered in the burial have been at...

13,000-year-old Clovis campsite discovered in Michigan

10 September 2021

10 September 2021

In St. Joseph County, independent researcher Thomas Talbot and University of Michigan scholars uncovered a 13,000-year-old Clovis campsite, which is...

First Visual Evidence of the Milky Way Found in Ancient Egyptian Cosmological Vignettes

1 May 2025

1 May 2025

Did ancient Egyptians gaze upon the Milky Way and immortalize its form in their artwork? New research suggests this very...

A Newly Found 12,000-year-old Burial in Türkiye May Belong to a Female ‘Shaman’

28 July 2024

28 July 2024

A recently published study suggests that a woman buried in the upper reaches of the Tigris River in south-eastern Türkiye...

OSZAR »