Standing stone statue from Mas Capelier

This sculpture is one of the oldest in Europe, dating from the Neolithic period, the last period of Prehistory during which the inhabitants of modern-day France ceased to be nomads and became farmers. At this time, various cultural groups in the south of France developed statuary based on human forms. At the junction of the French departments of the Aveyron, the Tarn and the Hérault, archaeologists have identified more than two hundred standing stone statues, originally placed in the open air, representing men and women. The female figure shown here is seated and can be seen from both the front and the back. The eyes are represented by the two small, engraved circles, and the nose by the ‘v’ line. The figure has no mouth, but hands and feet are clearly marked.