The Westray Wife, also known as the Orkney Venus, is a Neolithic sculpture discovered in 2009 on the Westray island, which is part of the Orkney Islands. A miniature statue made from sandstone, it is remarkable for being the earliest depiction of a human discovered in Scotland. The statuette is flat with a round head on top of a four sided block representing its body.
Table of Contents
S1 – Discovery
Orkney is an archipelago in the Northern Isles of Scotland. Westray is one of the Orkney Islands. The Westray Wife was discovered in August, 2009 by archaeologist Jakob Kainz during excavations in the island of Westray. The sculpture now resides at the Westray Heritage Centre. It has already been viewed by more than 100,000 people.
S2 – Description
Made from sandstone, the Orkney Venus is a small sculpture having the dimensions of 3.5 cm by 3 cm. The lower half of the figurine has four sides in the shape of a diamond and the upper half represents a round head. The head has features of a human face with heavy brows, two dots for eyes and an oblong for a nose. Scratches at the top of the head are thought to represent hair.
Arms have been sketched on either side while the pattern of crosses could be a depiction of fabric worn by the figure. There are a pair of circles sketched on the body of the figurine which have been interpreted as breasts. The Westray Wife is generally regarded as a representation of a woman but this can’t be stated with certainty. The marks thought to be breasts may be clothing fasteners and clothing fabric.
S3 – Age
It is known that Westray has been settled from around 3,500 BCE. The Westray Wife or Orkney Venus is considered to have been created a little later, in 3,000 BCE. With an age of around 5,000 years, it is the earliest depiction of a human discovered in Scotland.
S4 – Neolithic Art Overview
Main Sources
S1:-
(Jan 11, 2016). “Scotland’s earliest carved figurine”. Bradshaw Foundation.
S2:-
(Jul 19, 2010). “Orkney Venus misses out on archaeology award”. The BBC.
“The Orkney Venus gets a partner”. Society of Antiquaries of London.
S3:-
(Jul 18, 2010). “Second Orkney Venus found at Orkney dig”. The BBC.