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The Venus Illusion

The Venus Illusion

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Andrew Smith
Nov 07, 2023
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The Venus Illusion
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Another 19th century day in Europe, another rich amateur archaeologist makes a world-changing discovery. Paul Hurault, 8th Marquis de Vibraye—the dapper chap with the hypnotizing dog in the painting below—found something that would change our view of history.

By Manfred Heyde - Own work, CC BY-SA 4.0, https://commons.wikimedia.org/w/index.php?curid=92382633

Hurault found a figurine in the sediment of the Vézère valley of France, and it was obvious that it was a very old human form. He had no real idea how old it was, but based on where it was in the sediment, it must have been very, very old—stone age, for sure. Later radiocarbon dating indicated that this figure was 16,000 years old.

Here’s what it looks like:

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