ABSTRACT
This chapter provides an overview of the varied uses and meanings attributed to prehistoric figurines in archaeological research, focusing on the Woman of Willendorf from the Upper Palaeolithic. It addresses the Dagenham Idol. Prehistoric figurines have sometimes been discussed in terms that suggest they exhibit a state of undress akin to what is nowadays understood as nudity. It is possible that if nakedness was recognized in prehistory, conceptions of it differed between groups and across time. Johann Veran unearthed the limestone figure commonly known as the ‘Venus of Willendorf’ on 7 August 1908 at Willendorf in the Wachau Valley in Austria. Thinking of nudity as a concept may appear counterintuitive. Being nude seems a physical state, a readily discernible bodily property, rather than an idea. The Dagenham Idol is a remarkable work of carving. Stripping, like denuding, is a term frequently used when working with wood.
