6. Measurements of the Venus of Lespugue

We oriented the photograph of the Venus, front view, as shown in Fig. 4. Choosing horizontal lines (frets) across the figure in the most obvious places (using a computer drawing program) and measuring the distances on the Christian scale of lengths, from 144 to 72, we obtain the results of Fig. 5. The accuracy of our measurements is within one half of a reference unit, which is less than a millimeter in the scale of the actual figurine, 147 millimeters. The correspondence with the Hindu-Greek (Greek Dorian) Diatonic Scale is within 1 unit, as shown in Fig. 5, except for the seventh tone. This result we call the Canon of Lespugue. Compare with Fig. 1, held upside down. Regarding the note symbols, see (McClain, 1976, pp. 33, 125, 127). In Fig. 5, two extra notes of the chromatic scale in just intonation, b and ab, have been interpolated among the Dorian frets for comparison. Comparing the two scales, we may note two main differences.

First, note that the subdominant perfect fourth, G, and the dominant perfect fifth, A, occur in both scales. The subdominant fret of the Venus scale coincides with the top of the cusp between the breasts. The dominant fret of the Venus scale coincides with an incised line at the top of the pubic triangle. In between, in the Venus scale, we have noted a line defined by the bottom of the breasts, corresponding to ab, the tritone. This most discordant note does not occur in the Dorian scale. We may interpret this line as a fret for occasional ornamentation, and not part of the Canon of Lespugues: an extra fret.

Secondly, the seventh note of the Canon of Lespugue at coordinate 84 is audibly flat, relative to the seventh note of the Greek Dorian Mode, c, at 80. It is also slightly sharp relative to the b of the chromatic scale in just intonation, so we might denote this b+ or c-. Of the seven notes of the diatonic scale, this is the only one which differs significantly from the Greek Dorian Mode. An interval greater than a whole tone is suggested, in contradiction to the (later) rules of ancient Greece.

We may compare three scales (the Dorian, the Venus, and the aulos measured by Schlesinger) in Christian length coordinates:

Note that the 7th note of the Venus, at 84, is closer to the 6th note of the aulos. Otherwise, the Venus is closer to the theoretical Dorian than is the aulos of ancient Greece!

Further support for our musical interpretation of the Venus of Lespugue is provided by the incisions on the back of the figurine, which look very much like the strings of a lute, gathered to a single peg or nut, as shown in Fig. 6.