 | |
| Alternative names | Tardigravettian |
|---|---|
| Geographical range | Southern andEastern Europe |
| Period | LateUpper Paleolithic |
| Dates | ~21,000 – 10,000cal.BP[1] |
| Type site | None (because likely a continuation of theGravettian) |
| Major sites | Paglicci,Arene Candide,Riparo Tagliente [de],Dolní Věstonice |
| Preceded by | Gravettian |
| Followed by | Magdalenian,Mesolithic cultures |
| Defined by | Georges Laplace [fr], 1958 (broader-than-modern meaning)[2]Broglio, Laplace et al., 1963 (modern meaning, as “Tardigravettiano”)[3] |
| ThePaleolithic |
|---|
| ↑Pliocene (beforeHomo) |
|
|
| ↓Mesolithic |
TheEpigravettian (Greek:epi "above, on top of", andGravettian) was one of the lastarchaeological industries and cultures of the EuropeanUpper Paleolithic. It emerged after theLast Glacial Maximum around ~21,000cal.BP or 19,050 BC. It succeeds theGravettian culture in Italy. Initially namedTardigravettian (Late Gravettian) in 1964 byGeorges Laplace in reference to several lithic industries found in Italy,[4] it was later renamed in order to better emphasize its independent character.
Three subphases, theEarly Epigravettian (20,000 to 16,000 BP), theEvolved Epigravettian (16,000 to 14,000 BP) and theFinal Epigravettian (14,000 to 8,000 BP), have been established, that were further subdivided and reclassified.[5][6][7] In this sense, the Epigravettian is simply the Gravettian after ~21,000 BP,[is this date calibrated?] when theSolutrean 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 southwestern France, Italy,Southeast Europe, the Caucasus, Ukraine and Western Russia to the banks of theVolga River.
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.[8]
The Epigravettian is the last stage of the Upper Paleolithic succeeded by Mesolithic cultures after 10,000 BP.[9]
In a genetic study published inNature in May 2016, the remains of an Epigravettian male fromRipari Villabruna inItaly were examined. He carried the paternal haplogroupR1b1 and the maternal haplogroupU5b. An Epigravettian from theSatsurblia Cave inGeorgia, who was examined in a previous study, has been found to be carrying the paternal haplogroupJ1 and the maternal haplogroupK3.[10]
An analysis of Epigravettian producing individuals in Italy indicates that they were not closely related to earlier Gravettian-producing inhabitants of the peninsula, and instead belong to theVillabruna genetic cluster. This group is more closely related to ancient and modern peoples in the Middle East and the Caucasus than earlier EuropeanCro-Magnons. Epigravettian peoples belonging to theWestern Hunter Gatherer genetic cluster expanded across Western Europe at the end of the Pleistocene, largely replacing the producers of theMagdalenian culture that previously dominated the region.[11]
![Epigravettian ceramic figurine of a horse or deer, Vela Spila, Croatia, dated to 15,400-14,600 BP.[12]](/mt/?noimg=&dark=on&url=http%3a%2f%2fwww.wikipedia.org%2fwiki%2fFile%3aEpigravettian_ceramic_figurine_of_a_horse_or_deer%2c_Vela_Spila%2c_Croatia%2c_15400-14600_BP.jpg)
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