The Epigravettian (Greek: ''epi'' "above, on top of", and
Gravettian
The Gravettian was an archaeological industry of the European Upper Paleolithic that succeeded the Aurignacian circa 33,000 years BP. It is archaeologically the last European culture many consider unified, and had mostly disappeared by 2 ...
) was one of the last
archaeological industries :''Not to be confused with industrial archaeology, the archaeology of (modern) industrial sites.''
In the archaeology of the Stone Age, an industry or technocomplex is a typological classification of stone tools.
An industry consists of a nu ...
and cultures of the European
Upper Paleolithic
The Upper Paleolithic (or Upper Palaeolithic) is the third and last subdivision of the Paleolithic or Old Stone Age. Very broadly, it dates to between 50,000 and 12,000 years ago (the beginning of the Holocene), according to some theories coin ...
. It emerged after the
Last Glacial Maximum
The Last Glacial Maximum (LGM), also referred to as the Late Glacial Maximum, was the most recent time during the Last Glacial Period that ice sheets were at their greatest extent.
Ice sheets covered much of Northern North America, Northern Eur ...
around ~21,000
cal. BP or 19,050 BC, and is considered to be a cultural derivative of the
Gravettian
The Gravettian was an archaeological industry of the European Upper Paleolithic that succeeded the Aurignacian circa 33,000 years BP. It is archaeologically the last European culture many consider unified, and had mostly disappeared by 2 ...
culture. Initially named ''Tardigravettian'' (Late Gravettian) in 1964 by
Georges Laplace in reference to several lithic industries found in Italy, it was later renamed in order to better emphasize its independent character.
Three subphases, the ''Early Epigravettian'' (20,000 to 16,000 BP), the ''Evolved Epigravettian'' (16,000 to 14,000 BP) and the ''Final Epigravettian'' (14,000 to 8,000 BP), have been established, that were further subdivided and reclassified.
In this sense, the Epigravettian is simply the Gravettian after ~21,000 BP, when the
Solutrean
The Solutrean industry is a relatively advanced flint tool-making style of the Upper Paleolithic of the Final Gravettian, from around 22,000 to 17,000 BP. Solutrean sites have been found in modern-day France, Spain and Portugal.
Details
T ...
had replaced the Gravettian in most of France and Spain.
Several Epigravettian cultural centers have developed contemporaneously after 22,000 years BP in Europe. These range across southern, central and most of eastern Europe, including south-western France, Italy, the Balkans, the Caucasus, Ukraine and Western Russia to the banks of the
Volga River
The Volga (; russian: Во́лга, a=Ru-Волга.ogg, p=ˈvoɫɡə) is the List of rivers of Europe#Rivers of Europe by length, longest river in Europe. Situated in Russia, it flows through Central Russia to Southern Russia and into the Cas ...
.
Its lithic complex was first documented at numerous sites in Italy. Great geographical and local variability of the facies is present,
however all sites are characterized by the predominance of microliths, such as backed blades, backed points, and bladelets with retouched end.
The Epigravettian is the last stage of the Upper Paleolithic succeeded by Mesolithic cultures after 10,000 BP.
In a genetic study published in ''
Nature
Nature, in the broadest sense, is the physics, physical world or universe. "Nature" can refer to the phenomenon, phenomena of the physical world, and also to life in general. The study of nature is a large, if not the only, part of science. ...
'' in May 2016, the remains an Epigravettian male from
Ripari Villabruna
Ripari Villabruna is a small rock shelter in northern Italy with mesolithic burial remains. It contains several Cro-Magnon burials, with bodies and grave goods dated to 14,000 years BP. The site has added greatly to the understanding of the neol ...
in
Italy
Italy ( it, Italia ), officially the Italian Republic, ) or the Republic of Italy, is a country in Southern Europe. It is located in the middle of the Mediterranean Sea, and its territory largely coincides with the homonymous geographical re ...
were examined. He carried the paternal haplogroup
R1b1 and the maternal haplogroup
U5b. An Epigravettian from the
Satsurblia Cave
Satsurblia Cave Natural Monument ( ka, საწურბლიას მღვიმე) is a paleoanthropological site located 1.2 km from Kumistavi village, Tsqaltubo Municipality, in the Imereti region of Georgia, 287 meters above sea le ...
in
Georgia
Georgia most commonly refers to:
* Georgia (country), a country in the Caucasus region of Eurasia
* Georgia (U.S. state), a state in the Southeast United States
Georgia may also refer to:
Places
Historical states and entities
* Related to the ...
examined in a previous study has been found to be carrying the paternal haplogroup
J2 and the maternal haplogroup
K3.
References
Sources
*
{{Authority control
Upper Paleolithic cultures of Europe
Industries (archaeology)
Archaeological cultures of Eastern Europe
Archaeological cultures of Southeastern Europe
Archaeological cultures of Southern Europe
Archaeological cultures in Austria
Archaeological cultures in Croatia
Archaeological cultures in Italy
Archaeological cultures in Montenegro
Archaeological cultures in Romania
Archaeological cultures in Serbia
Archaeological cultures in Slovakia
Archaeological cultures in Ukraine
Stone Age Austria