Early Upper Paleolithic Cultures
Aurignacian
First Discovered
- Aurignac (Dordogne, France)
Chronology
Geography
- Widespread distribution over Eurasia
- Siberia (Sungir)
Hominid
- Modern humans (Homo sapiens)
Material Culture
- Upper Paleolithic-type lithic industry
- Aurignacian blades, burins, endscrapers, etc.
- Bone Tools
Mortuary practices
- Definitive elaborate burials, with grave goods
Symbolic Expression
Proliferation of various forms of personal ornaments:
- perforated animal-teeth;
- distinctive "bead" forms carved out of bone and mammoth ivory;
- earliest perforated marine shells
Artistic Expression
Types of evidence:
- Engraved limestone blocks
- Animal and human figurines
- Parietal art
Engraved block characteristics:
- Stiffness of outlines;
- Deep incisions;
- Work executed mainly on limestone slabs or blocks;
- Sexual symbols realistically represented;
- Animals (usually heads, forequarters and dorsal lines) extremely crudely rendered;
- This type of artistic expression limited to southwest France (mainly Dordogne).
Figurine characteristics:
- Earliest evidence of artwork in the Upper Paleolithic: Geissenklösterle - 37,000-33,000 BC
- Present in Central Europe, presently Germany
- Sophisticated and naturalistic statuettes of animal (mammoth, feline, bear, bison) and even human figures
- Carved from mammoth ivory
Gravettian
First Discovered
- La Gravette (Dordogne, France)
Chronology
Geography
- Widespread distribution over Eurasia
Major cultural centers
- Southwest France
- Northern Italy (Grimaldi)
- Central Europe (Dolni Vestonice, Pavlov)
Architecture
Material Culture
- Upper Paleolithic-type lithic industry
- Gravette Points, etc.
Other Economic Activities
Complex mortuary practices
- Dolni Vestonice triple burial
Artistic Expression
Types:
- Animal figurines
- Female figurines ("Venuses")
- Parietal art
Animal figuring characteristics: Animals most frequently depicted are dangerous species (felines and bears), continuing Aurignacian tradition
- In Moravia, 67 animal statuettes recorded:
- 21 bears
- 11 small carnivores
- 9 felines
- 8 mammoths
- 6 birds
- 6 horses
- 4 rhinoceroses
- caprid
- 1 cervid
By contrast, Magdalenian animal statuettes from the same region show very different patterns (N=139):
- 56 horses, 44 bisons
- 9 bears,
- 2 felines,
- 1 mammoth
- 2 birds
- 1 caprid, 1 cervid
- 5 miscellaneous, 18 indeterminates
- No rhinoceros
Dangerous animals represent only 10% of total
Female figurine characteristics: Widespread distribution over Europe and Russia; except Spain where no evidence of Venuses
- Raw materials:
- Various types of research performed by anthropologists:
- technological
- stylistic
- details of clothing, ornaments
- chronological/geographical
- interpretational
- Most of baked clay figurines found fragmented
- Lack of skill or deliberate action? Intentional fracturation through heating process
- Fragmented figurines were intended products Involved and by-products of ritual ceremonies rather than art objects
Parietal art characteristics: From 21 sites, a list of 47 animals identified:
- 9 ibexes
- 9 cervids
- 7 horses
- 4 mammoths
- 3 bovids
- 1 megaceros
- 1 salmon
- 10 indeterminates
Dangerous animals (rhinoceros, bear, lion) depicted during the Gravettian do not constitute more than 11% of determinable animals:
- 3 times less than in Aurignacian period);
- yet still higher frequency than during Solutrean and Magdalenian
Strong preponderance of hunted animals, with horse very widely dominant
- Example: Gargas with a list of 148 animals identified:
- 36.5% bovids (bison and aurochs)
- 29% horses
- 10% ibexes
- 6% cervids
- 4% mammoths
- 8% indeterminates
- (2 birds, 1 wild boar)
- No feline, rhinoceros, bear
