Figure of a Bull

Iron Age. 5th century BC. Bycí skála Cave (“Bull Rock Cave”) near Brno, Czech Republic.

The 2,500-year-old bull in bronze is one of the most artistically sophisticated and valuable figures from the Hallstatt culture.

EXPRESSIVE FEATURES
The 11-centimeter high figure was cast in bronze. The eyes and tail may have been made of organic material, and have not survived. The small figure was discovered in 1869 in the Bycí skála Cave near Brno, which is one of Europe’s most mysterious prehistoric lagerstätte. Besides the bull figure, skeletons were discovered there of 40 people, with a decorative wagon, jewelry, weapons and animal bones, which have already been a subject of many scientific papers. Interpretations range from a prince’s burial site through a central burial site to a sanctuary for defeated refugees. Today, the most probable explanation is believed to be a religious and sacrificial site. We do not know what role the small bronze bull played in this, which was reportedly taken from a clay vessel with charred millet. The fact that the site of the find had long been called “Bull Cliff” might indicate a deeper significance. In ancient mythologies, the bull was a symbol of strength and fertility. Triangular signs such as the iron inlays on the figure’s forehead, back, and shoulders, are still used by Asian livestock farmers to identify sacrificial animals. However, the riddle of Bull Rock Cave is no longer accessible to classic archeological methods, as the interior has been destroyed by sand quarrying and the main lagerstätte was concreted over during the Second World War.