Aurignacian

A series of Upper Palaeolithic cultures in Europe that existed from about 35,000 to 20,000 years (dates also given as 38,000-22,000 years) ago. They were characterized by their use of stone (flint) and bone tools, refinement of those tools, and the development of sculpture and cave painting. The culture is named for the type site Aurignac, in southern France, where such artifacts were discovered. In France it is stratified between the Châtelperronian and the Gravettian (and before the Solutrean and the Magdalenian), but industries of Aurignacian type are also found eastwards to the Balkans, Palestine, Iran, and Afghanistan. At Abri Pataud there is a radiocarbon date of pre-31,000 BC for the Aurignacian, but there are possibly earlier occurrences in central and southeast Europe (Istállóskö in Hungary, Bacho Kiro in Bulgaria). There is still considerable dispute about the extent to which the Aurignacian is contemporary with the cultures of the Perigordian group in southwest France. The sites are often in deep, sheltered valleys. Split-based bone points, carinates (steep-end scrapers), and Aurignac blades (with heavy marginal retouch) are typical of Aurignacian. Aurignacian is also important as the most distinctive and abundantly represented of the early Upper Palaeolithic groups.

In the classic French Upper Palaeolithic sequence, the Aurignacian falls before the Solutrian and the Magda-lenian. In modem usage only the old ‘middle Aurignacian’ is still called Aurignacian. In France, radiocarbon dates place it mainly between about 35,000 and 25,000 years ago. However, there are a number of different types of Aurignacian, and in central Europe a related form may be considerably older. There is still considerable dispute about the extent to which the Aurignacian is contemporary with the cultures of the Perigordian group in southwest France. The first representational art and the earliest bone flutes appear in the Aurignacian, and it is also important as the most distinctive and abundantly represented of the early Upper Palaeolithic groups. The most characteristic artefacts are carinates (steep end scrapers), Aurignac blades (with heavy marginal retouch) and split-based bone points.

A series of Upper Paleolithic cultures in Europe that existed from about 35,000 to 20,000 years ago (dates also given as 38,000-22,000 years ago). They were characterized by their use of stone (flint) and bone tools, the refinement of those tools, and the development of sculpture and cave painting. The culture is named for the type site Aurignac, in southern France, where such artifacts were discovered. In France it is stratified between the Chatelperronian and the Gravettian (and before the Solutrean and the Magdalenian), but industries of Aurignacian type are also found eastwards to the Balkans, Palestine, Iran, and Afghanistan. At Abri Pataud there is a radiocarbon date of before 31,000 bc for the Aurignacian, but there are possibly earlier occurrences in central and southeast Europe (Istallosko in Hungary, Bacho Kiro in Bulgaria). There is still considerable dispute about the extent to which the Aurignacian is contemporary with the cultures of the Perigordian group in southwest France. The sites are often in deep, sheltered valleys. Split-based bone points, carinates (steepend scrapers), and Aurignac blades (with heavy marginal retouch) are typical of the Aurignacian. Aurignacian is also important as the most distinctive and abundantly represented of the early Upper Paleolithic groups.