Magdalenian horse head carving

Magdalenian people dwelt not just in caves but also used tents like this one of Pincevent (France)

Magdalenian weapons of bone

The Magdalenian, also spelled Magdalénien, refers to one of the later cultures of the Upper Palaeolithic in western Europe. The Stone Age is a broad prehistoric time period during which Humans widely used stone for toolmaking The more Anthropomorphic Primates of the Hominini tribe are placed in the Hominina subtribe The Pliocene epoch (spelled Pleiocene in some older texts is the period in the Geologic timescale that extends The term Paleolithic (or Palaeolithic) (from Greek παλαιός palaios, " Old " and λίθος Lithos, "stone" The Lower Paleolithic (or Lower Palaeolithic) is the earliest subdivision of the Paleolithic or Old Stone Age. Homo is the Genus that includes modern humans and their close relatives The control of Fire by early humans was a turning point in human cultural evolution that allowed for humans to proliferate due to the incorporation A stone tool is in the most general sense any Tool made of stone. The Middle Paleolithic (or Middle Palaeolithic) is the second subdivision of the Paleolithic or Old Stone Age as it is understood in Europe, The Neanderthal (neɪˈændərtɑːl also with /niː-/ and /-θɔːl/ or Neandertal, is an extinct member of the Homo genus that is known from The term Archaic Homo sapiens refers generally to the earliest members of the species Homo sapiens. In Paleoanthropology, the recent African origin of modern humans is one of two hypotheses of the origin of anatomically modern humans Homo sapiens sapiens The Upper Paleolithic (or Upper Palaeolithic) is the third and last subdivision of the Paleolithic or Old Stone Age as it is understood in Europe Africa Behavioral modernity is a term used in Anthropology, Archeology and Sociology to refer to a list of traits that distinguish present day humans and their An atlatl (from Nahuatl ahtlatl; in English pronounced or) or spear-thrower is a Tool that uses Leverage to achieve greater velocity The origin of the domestic dog is the history of the ancestry and the Domestication of the Dog ( Canis lupus familiaris) The Mesolithic or Middle Stone Age was a period in the development of human technology in between the Paleolithic or Old Stone Age and the Neolithic or New Stone Age A microlith is a small stone tool typically knapped of Flint or Chert, usually about three centimetres long or less They are typically one Centimetre A bow is a Weapon that projects arrows powered by the elasticity of the bow A canoe is a small narrow Boat, typically human-powered though it may also be powered by sails or small electric or gas motors The Neolithic (from Greek νεολιθικός — neolithikos from νέος neos, "new" + λίθος lithos The Pre-Pottery Neolithic A (short PPNA around 9000 BC represents the early Neolithic in the Levantine and upper Mesopotamian region of the Fertile The Neolithic Revolution was the first Agricultural revolution &mdashthe transition from hunting and gathering communities and bands to Agriculture and Domestication (from Latin domesticus) refers to the process whereby a Population of Animals A stone tool is in the most general sense any Tool made of stone. The Neolithic (from Greek νεολιθικός — neolithikos from νέος neos, "new" + λίθος lithos Pottery is the Ceramic ware made by potters It also refers to a group of materials that includes Earthenware, Stoneware The Chalcolithic (Greek khalkos + lithos ' Copper stone' period or Copper Age period known as the '''Eneolithic''' ('''Æneolithic''' is a Metallurgy is a domain of Materials science that studies the physical and chemical behavior of metallic elements, their intermetallic compounds, and their There are a number of hypotheses on many of the key issues regarding the domestication of the horse. A wheel is a circular device that is capable of rotating on its axis facilitating movement or transportation whilst supporting a load ( Mass) or performing labour in machines The term Bronze Age refers to a period in human cultural development when the most advanced Metalworking (at least in systematic and widespread use included techniques for In addition to its usual meaning in Social science, in Archaeology, the term culture is also used in reference to several related concepts unique to The Upper Paleolithic (or Upper Palaeolithic) is the third and last subdivision of the Paleolithic or Old Stone Age as it is understood in Europe Africa Western Europe at its most general meaning means 'all the countries in the West of Europe ' It is named after the type site of La Madeleine, a rock shelter located in the Vézère valley, commune of Tursac, in the Dordogne departement of France. In Archaeology a type site (also known as a type-site or typesite) is a site that is considered the model of a particular Archaeological Dordogne (Dordonha is a department in central France named after the Dordogne River. This article is about the country For a topic outline on this subject see List of basic France topics.

Originally termed "L'Age du Renne" (the Age of the Reindeer) by Lartet & Christy (1875), the Magdalenian is synonymous in many people's minds with reindeer hunters, although Magdalenian sites also contain extensive evidence for the hunting of red deer, horse and other large mammals present in Europe towards the end of the last ice age. The Upper Paleolithic (or Upper Palaeolithic) is the third and last subdivision of the Paleolithic or Old Stone Age as it is understood in Europe Africa Mammals ( class Mammalia) are a class of Vertebrate Animals characterized by the presence of Sweat glands, including sweat glands An ice age is a period of long-term reduction in the Temperature of the Earth 's surface and atmosphere resulting in an expansion of continental Ice sheets The culture was geographically widespread, and later Magdalenian sites have been found from Portugal in the west to Poland in the east. Portugal, officially the Portuguese Republic (República Portuguesa is a country on the Iberian Peninsula. Poland (Polska officially the Republic of Poland

The culture spans the period between c. 18,000 and 10,000 BP, towards the end of the last ice age. An ice age is a period of long-term reduction in the Temperature of the Earth 's surface and atmosphere resulting in an expansion of continental Ice sheets The Magdalenien is characterised by regular blade industries struck from carinated cores. A blade is the flat part of a Tool, Weapon, or Machine (such as a fan) that normally has a cutting edge and/or pointed end typically made Typologically the Magdalenian is divided into six phases which are generally agreed to have chronological significance. The earliest phases are recognised by the varying proportion of blades and specific varieties of scrapers, the middle phases marked by the emergence of a microlithic component (particularly the distinctive denticulated microliths) and the later phases by the presence of uniserial (phase 5) and biserial 'harpoons' (phase 6) made of bone, antler and ivory (Sonneville-Bordes & Perrot, 1954-56).

There is extensive debate about the precise nature of the earliest Magdalenian assemblages, and it remains questionable whether the Badegoulian culture is in fact the earliest phase of the Magdalenian. Similarly finds from the forest of Beauregard near Paris have often been suggested as belonging to the earliest Magdalenian (Hemmingway 1980). The earliest Magdalenian sites are all found in France.

The later phases of the Magdalenian are also synonymous with the human re-settlement of north-western Europe after the Last Glacial Maximum. The Last Glacial Maximum (LGM refers to the time of maximum extent of the Ice sheets during the last Glaciation (the Würm or Wisconsin glaciation) approximately Extensive research in Switzerland, southern Germany (Housley et al. 1997) and Belgium (Charles 1996) has provided detailed AMS radiocarbon dating to support this.

By the end of the Magdalenian, the lithic technology shows a pronounced trend towards increased microlithisation. The bone harpoons and points are the most distinctive chronological markers within the typological sequence. As well as flint tools, the Magdalenians are best known for their elaborate worked bone, antler and ivory which served both functional and aesthetic purposes including bâtons de commandement. Ivory is formed from Dentine and constitutes the bulk of the Teeth and Tusks of animals such as the Elephant, Hippopotamus, A bâton de commandement or bâton percé is a name given by Archaeologists to a particular prehistoric artifact of uncertain function Examples of Magdalenian mobile art include figurines and intrically engraved projectile points, as well as items of personal adornment including sea shells, perforated carnivore teeth (presumably necklaces) and fossils. A mobile is a type of Kinetic sculpture constructed to take advantage of the principle of equilibrium You may be looking for Figurine or Figurine (band Figurines is an Indie rock band from Denmark, formed in A carnivore (ˈkɑrnɪvɔər meaning 'meat eater' ( Latin carne meaning 'flesh' and vorare meaning 'to devour' is any animal with a diet consisting

The sea shells and fossils found in Magdalenian sites can be sourced to relatively precise areas of origin, and so have been used to support hypothesis of Magdalenian hunter-gatherer seasonal ranges, and perhaps trade routes. Cave sites such as the world famous Lascaux contain the best known examples of Magdalenian cave art. Lascaux is the setting of a complex of Caves in southwestern France famous for its prehistoric Cave paintings The original caves are located near Cave paintings are Paintings on Cave walls and ceilings and the term is used especially for those dating to Prehistoric times The site of Altamira in Spain, with its extensive and varied forms of Magdalenian mobillary art has been suggested to be an agglomeration site where multiple small groups of Magdalenian hunter-gatherers congregated (Conkey 1980).

In northern Spain and south west France it was superseded by the Azilian culture. Spain () or the Kingdom of Spain (Reino de España is a country located mostly in southwestern Europe on the Iberian Peninsula. This article is about the country For a topic outline on this subject see List of basic France topics. The Azilian is a name given by Archaeologists to an industry of the Epipaleolithic in northern Spain and southern France. In northern Europe we see a slightly different picture, with different variants of the Tjongerian techno-complex following it. The Azilian is a name given by Archaeologists to an industry of the Epipaleolithic in northern Spain and southern France. It has been suggested that key Late Glacial sites in south-western Britain can also be attributed to the Magdalenian, including the famous site of Kent's Cavern, although this remains open to debate. Kents Cavern is a Cave system in Torquay, Devon, England. It is notable for its archaeological and geological features

See also

• Synoptic table of the principal old world prehistoric cultures

References

Charles, R. The synoptic table of the principal old world prehistoric cultures gives a rough picture of the relationships between the various principal cultures of Prehistory (1996): Back into the North: the Radiocarbon evidence for the Human Recolonisation of the North Western Ardennes after the Last Glacial Maximum. Proceedings of the Prehistoric Society 62: 1-17.

Conkey, M. J. (1980): The identification of prehistoric hunter-gatherer aggregation sites: the case of Altimira. Current Anthropology 21: 609-630.

Hemmingway, M. F. (1980): The Initial Magdalenian in France. British Archaeological Reports International Series 90. 2 Vols.

Housley, R. A, Gamble, C. S. , Street, M. & Pettit, P. (1997): Radiocarbon Evidence for the Lateglacial Human Recolonisation of Northern Europe. Proceedings of the Prehistoric Society 63.

Lartet, E & Christy, H. (1875): Reliquae Aquitanicae: being contributions to the archaeology of Périgord and adjoining provinces of Southern France. Williams & Norgate. London.

Sonneville-Bordes, D. de & Perrot J. (1954-1956): Lexique typologique du Paléolithique supérieur. Bulletin de la Société Préhistorique Française 51: 327-335, 52: 76-79, 53: 408-412, 53: 547-549.

External links

• pictures and description of the La Madeleine site [1]

• Picture Gallery of the Paleolithic (reconstructional palaeoethnology), Libor Balák at the Czech Academy of Sciences, the Institute of Archaeology in Brno, The Center for Paleolithic and Paleoethnological Research