Celebrate Our Anniversary with Trivia!
Join us on August 23 for a free virtual trivia party featuring questions about ancient civilizations, U.S. history, unusual historical facts, pop culture, and more.
This photo shows a reconstruction of the "Cult Wall" of Ludwigshafen, the oldest mural in Europe. The original painting was created around 3860 BCE, depicting hunting trophies of aurochs and bison, fine textiles, as well as a human torso with female breasts. It was most likely located in a pile-dwelling temple of the Pfyner Culture on Lake Constance. The temple caught fire and the heat hard-baked and preserved the plastered wall which then broke apart into many pieces, allowing archaeologists to piece it back together thousands of years later.
Archaeologists believe that the temple was a site of worship of either female ancestors or a kind of mythological mother deity. It is unclear whether the painting was related to some sort of ritual. Temples have been found in several pile-dwellings in southern Germany and Switzerland, but this wall painting is unique.
About the Author
Photo Location
This photograph was taken at the following location:
Related Images
Prehistoric Basket from Pile-Dwelling
Outline of a Dwelling at Agarak
Bison Skull Pile, 1892
Oldest Writing in Switzerland
Oldest Known Medical Degree
Oldest Large-Scale Slab in the Levant
Cite This Work
APA Style
Crabben, J. v. d. (2023, August 16). Oldest Mural in Europe. World History Encyclopedia. https://www.worldhistory.org/image/17744/oldest-mural-in-europe/
Chicago Style
Crabben, Jan van der. "Oldest Mural in Europe." World History Encyclopedia, August 16, 2023. https://www.worldhistory.org/image/17744/oldest-mural-in-europe/.
MLA Style
Crabben, Jan van der. "Oldest Mural in Europe." World History Encyclopedia, 16 Aug 2023, https://www.worldhistory.org/image/17744/oldest-mural-in-europe/.
