| Geographical range | Europe |
|---|---|
| Period | Upper Paleolithic |
| Dates | 35,000 BP – 20,000 BP |
| Preceded by | Mousterian[1] |
| Followed by | Mesolithic cultures |
| Defined by | Denis Peyrony [fr], 1933 |
| Antiquated by | Denise de Sonneville-Bordes [fr], 1990s |
| ThePaleolithic |
|---|
| ↑Pliocene (beforeHomo) |
|
|
| ↓Mesolithic |
Périgordian is a term for several distinct but relatedUpper Palaeolithiccultures which are thought by some archaeologists to represent a contiguous tradition. Thought to have existed between c.35,000BP and c.20,000 BP[2] the Perigordian was theorized by prehistorians (namelyDenis Peyrony [fr]).[3]
The earliest culture in the tradition is theChâtelperronian[4] which is thought to have produceddenticulate tools and flint knives. It is argued that this was superseded by theGravettian with itsFont Robert points andNoaillesburins. The tradition culminated in the proto-Magdalenian.[1]
Critics have pointed out that no continuous sequence of Périgordian occupation has yet been found, and that the tradition requires it to have co-existed separately from theAurignacian industry rather than being differing industries that existed before and afterwards.[5]
Les études sur le Gravettien se sont systématiquement heurtées à un problème : d'importantes différences ont très tôt été reconnues entre ces ensembles. Dès lors, comment appréhender et expliquer cette diversité? Les réponses à cette question ont fortement varié. L'exemple le plus éloquent est fourni par le modèle Périgordien (Peyrony, 1933, 1936, 1946), l'une des constructions préhistoriennes les plus éloignées des données archéologiques. [Studies on the Gravettian have systematically encountered a problem: important differences were recognised early among its different parts. So how is one to explain this diversity? Answers to this question have varied enormously. The most eloquent example was given for the Perigordian model (Peyrony, 1933, 1936, 1946), one of the prehistorian construction furthest away from archaeological data.