One of world's earliest examples of art, the "fat sculptures" carved some 30,000 years ago, have intrigued and puzzled scientists for nearly two centuries.
Now a researcher from the University of Colorado Medical Campus believes he's gathered enough evidence to solve the mystery behind these curious totems.
These sculptures, which appear in most art history books, were long seen as symbols of fertility or beauty. But according to Richard Johnson, lead author of the study published in the journal Obesity, the key to understanding the statues lays in climate change and diet.
"Some of the earliest art in the world are these mysterious figurines of overweight women from the time of hunter gatherers in Ice Age Europe where you would not expect to see obesity at all. We show that these figurines correlate to times of extreme nutritional stress," said Johnson in a report published on the university's website.
Early modern humans entered Europe during a warming period about 48,000 years ago. They hunted reindeer, horses and mammoths with bone-tipped spears. In summer they dined on berries, fish, nuts and plants. But then, as now, the climate did not remain static.
"As temperatures dropped, ice sheets advanced and disaster set in," he said explaining the meaning of nutritional stress.
During the coldest months, temperatures plunged to 10-15 degrees Celsius.
"Some bands of hunter gatherers died out, others moved south, some sought refuge in forests," he explained.
It was during these desperate times that the obese figurines appeared. They ranged between 6 and 16 centimeters in length and were made of stone, ivory, horn or occasionally clay. Some were threaded and worn as amulets. Researchers believe the figurines represented an idealized body type for these difficult living conditions.
"Obesity became a desired condition. An obese female in times of scarcity could carry a child through pregnancy better than one who suffers malnutrition. So the figurines may have been imbued with a spiritual meaning that could protect a woman through pregnancy, birth and nursing," noted Johnson, who in addition to being a physician has an undergraduate degree in anthropology.
"Increased fat would provide a source of energy during gestation and times of climatic challenges. Therefore, the figurines emerged as an ideological tool to help improve fertility and survival of the mother and newborns," he concluded.
