The prehistoric carved lion-human figure found in Germany’s Hohlenstein-Stadel cave is the Lion-Man.
The Lion-Man, also called the Löwenmensch figurine, is a mammoth-ivory sculpture discovered in the Swabian Jura of southwestern Germany. It combines a human body with the head of a cave lion, making it one of the earliest known examples of figurative art. Archaeologists date it to the Aurignacian period, approximately 40,000 years ago.
The sculpture was found in fragments in 1939, shortly before the Second World War. Researchers reconstructed it over many years, and later excavations recovered additional pieces. Its exact sex and intended meaning remain uncertain. It may represent a mythical being, a ritual figure, or an image connected with storytelling and religious belief.
The Lion-Man is distinct from the Venus of Hohle Fels, another important ivory sculpture from the same region. It is also much older than the classical and medieval sculptures usually associated with art history.