Anthropologists have debated the meaning of this pattern for a century. The current prevailing theory (proposed by Dr. Elena Voss in 2015) is that the pattern of the Lutellaria hinge mimics the waves of the sea or the growth rings of a tree—both symbols of cyclical time and fertility in prehistoric Europe.
: Lutellaria is depicted as being on the fringes of civilization, making it a place of both myth and physical danger. seal of lutellaria