Replica of the Venus of Willendorf, from the Paleolithic period.

Venus of Willendorf

3D scan of a fossil human skull excavated in the Mladeč Caves, Czech Republic, in 1881. With an absolute age of ca. 31,000 years, the Mladeč 1 skull is one of the oldest securely dated *Homo sapiens* finds in Europe. It provides rare insights into the morphology of our species in the European Upper Paleolithic. 

The Mladeč 1 skull is Number 47 of the NHM Top 100. The valuable original is not on display in the exhibition halls, but a cast can be found in Hall 14 of the NHM Vienna.

**Specimen**: Mladeč 1 skull

**Inventory number**: NHMW-ANTHRO-OSTE-5454

**Collection**: Natural History Museum Vienna, Anthropology Dept. (curator: Sabine Eggers)

Find out more about the NHMW [here](http://www.nhm-wien.ac.at/en).

Scanned and edited by Andrea Stadlmayr, Anna Haider, Viola Winkler (NHMW)

Scanner: Artec Space Spider. Infrastructure funded by the FFG.

Mladeč 1 Skull (NHMW-ANTHRO-OSTE-5454)

Chinese knot is a hand-made handicraft. The sentiment and wisdom it shows is just one side of the ancient civilization of the Han nationality.  It was originally sewn and knotted in the Paleolithic age, and then extended to the Han Dynasty. It has evolved into today's decorative craft. The jade worn by people in Zhou Dynasty was often decorated with Chinese knot, while the bronze wares in Warring States period also had the pattern of Chinese knot. It was not until the Qing Dynasty that Chinese knot really became a popular art.

Chinese knotting

**Acheulean hand axe**

Location: Abbeville, France.

Period: Lower Paleolithic (before 300,000 years ago).

Material: flint.

Dimensions: length, 167.0 mm; width, 100.9 mm; thickness, 41.7 mm.

Notes: Catalog no. 518a2.  This specimen is part of a larger collection of artifacts that was acquired in 1929 by James Bell Bullitt during a tour of western Europe and later donated to the University of North Carolina.  Specimen resides in the North Carolina Archaeological Collection, Research Laboratories of Archaeology, University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill. Model by Kathleen Brock.

Acheulean Hand Axe (518a2)

Half a skull from the Neolithic Necropolis of Escoural Cave, one of the most iconic monuments of the of Montemor-o-Novo’s region, in Portugal, being widely recognized for the presence of Paleolithic rock art (paintings and engravings). The burials in this necropolis were covered by a mantle of calcite that can still be seen in part of this skull. The burials were accompanied by votive ceramics pieces.

This piece is currently on display at the Museum of S. Domingos, in Montemor-o-Novo.

Photos from Canon 5D Mk IV. Completely processed (aligned, scaled, meshed, cleaned, simplified, unwrapped, textured,) in Reality Capture.

Escoural Cave Skull, Portugal

The Registan was the heart of the ancient city of Samarkand of the Timurid Empire. It consists of the Ulugh Beg Madrasah (1417–1420), the Sher-Dor Madrasah (1619–1636), and the Tilya-Kori Madrasah (1646–1660)

Samarqand, is a city in southeastern Uzbekistan and among the oldest continuously inhabited cities in Central Asia. There is evidence of human activity in the area of the city from the late Paleolithic Era, but the city itself was fully established by the 8 cnetury BCE.  Prospering from its location on the Silk Road between China and Europe, at times Samarkand was one of the largest cities of Central Asia. The city was conquered by Alexander the Great in 329 BCE, when it was known as Markanda


3D model made in Reality Capture using 14,145 drone images.

Registan Complex, Samarkand, Uzbekistan- Drone

Prayer Hall, Tilya-Kori Madrasah (1646-60 CE), Samarkand, Registan Complex. Uzbekistan.

Samarqand, is a city in southeastern Uzbekistan and among the oldest continuously inhabited cities in Central Asia. There is evidence of human activity in the area of the city from the late Paleolithic Era, but the city itself was fully established by the 8 cnetury BCE. Prospering from its location on the Silk Road between China and Europe, at times Samarkand was one of the largest cities of Central Asia. The city was conquered by Alexander the Great in 329 BCE, when it was known as Markanda.

Scanned with Leica and Faro Scanners, and Sony Cameras. Processed in Reality Capture..

Prayer Hall, Tilya-Kori Madrasah, Samarkand

Front Entrance, Bibi-Khanym Mosque, Samarkand, Uzbekistan

one of the most important monuments of Samarkand, Uzbekistan. In the 15th century, it was one of the largest and most magnificent mosques in the Islamic world. It is considered a masterpiece of the Timurid Renaissance.

Samarqand, is a city in southeastern Uzbekistan and among the oldest continuously inhabited cities in Central Asia. There is evidence of human activity in the area of the city from the late Paleolithic Era, but the city itself was fully established by the 8 cnetury BCE.  Prospering from its location on the Silk Road between China and Europe, at times Samarkand was one of the largest cities of Central Asia. The city was conquered by Alexander the Great in 329 BCE, when it was known as Markanda


3D model made in Reality Capture using a combination of terrestrial and drone-based images and laser scan data.

Front Entrance, Bibi-Khanym Mosque, Samarkand

Chinese knot is a hand-made handicraft. The sentiment and wisdom it shows is just one side of the ancient civilization of the Han nationality. It was originally sewn and knotted in the Paleolithic age, and then extended to the Han Dynasty. It has evolved into today’s decorative craft. The jade worn by people in Zhou Dynasty was often decorated with Chinese knot, while the bronze wares in Warring States period also had the pattern of Chinese knot. It was not until the Qing Dynasty that Chinese knot really became a popular art.

This portion of Rock 6 at Luine demonstates the huge timespan of the tradition of rock engraving in Valcamonica.  There are the faint lines of Epipaleolithic animal carvings; these heavily overlain by possibly Neolithic/Bronze Age cup marks & occasional rings, and 1st Century BC alphabetic inscriptions, Roman age numerals and finally, a possibly Christian era cross (refer to the annotations on the model).  This represents nearly 9000 years of human creative activity on and around this site.

Valcamonica, Luine - Rock 6 (4)

This is the second 3D model of the 'Great Animal' on Rock 6 at Luine.  The other (Model Luine - Rock 6 (1)), was made from photos taken in July 2025 when viewing conditions were not at all ideal due to the strong overhead sun.  The photos on this model were taken on my second visit in November 2025, when the sun was less intense and striking the carved surfaces at a more oblique angle.  

Rock 6 has over 50 square metres of widely differing carvings from many periods.  The Great Animal is The earliest of the carvings here, and one of the earliest in Valcamonica.  The figure is generally agreed to be an elk, wounded by thrown weapons.  It is thought to date at the latest from the sixth millennium BC - elks became extinct in Valcamonica around this time.  Its collar must be considered a later 'add-on.' There are six other, much less well defined, epipaleolithic animal figures identified on Rock 6 but this example is the most visible.  The other animal figures are mostly elks but one or two may be goats.

Valcamonica, Luine - 'Great Animal' Rock 6 (3)

This is a very old figure.  The graceful, curved lines define the head, body and hindquarters of a hunted deer, with antlers and a piercing spear that are pecked.  The head faces backwards, curving over the upper body.

The majority view seems to be that this would date back to the Epipaleolithic period (equivalent to our Mesolithic), about 8000 years BP.

However, according to recent research, this figure could be an equid, dated on comparisons with other prehistoric rock-art figures to the end of the Upper Paleolithic, about 13,000 years BP.  This would then be, by far, the most ancient rock engraving known in Valcamonica.

Valcamonica, Luine - Rock 34 (Epipaleolithic)

This model includes What I believe to be a Direct Sapiens Lineage based on Morphometric Analysis. Homo Habilis, Homo Erectus, Early Homo Sapiens(Jebel Irhoud), Middle Paleolithic Sapiens(Qafzeh 9 ) and Modern Homo Sapiens(Modern day Human male from Japan).

Jebel Irhoud reconstruction by Adam Worthington, Modern Day Human CT Scan by Kent Mori

Single STL File but Cranium and Mandible can be Separated individually with a 3D slicer program like Prusa, Orca etc.

Homo Sapiens Morphometric Lineage 2

Comparison of Qafzeh 9 Early Modern Homo Sapiens that dates back to 100,000 years ago in the Middle Paleolithic Levant and a Modern Day Homo Sapiens from Japan. The similarities are striking, both skulls are nearly identical in morphological traits, while Modern day Sapiens have a range in cranial shape variation,  I choose this individual because of its uncanny resemblance.

Modern day speciment was posted by Kent Mori and this is the direct link to the model
https://sketchfab.com/3d-models/rojo-hs-1-human-skull-489fd613299942e4abe8477d7df0cfa7

Both are Gracile Human Males (recent studies of Qafzeh 9 as a male) 

File is STL but The Cranium and Mandibles can be separated/split using a 3D Printing Slicer like Prusa/Orca etc.

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