|typesite = La Gravette

|majorsites = Dordogne

|extra = Venus figurines

|precededby = Aurignacian

|followedby = Solutrean, Epigravettian

|definedby = Dorothy Garrod, 1938

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The Gravettian is 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 &nbsp;22,000 BP, close to the Last Glacial Maximum, although some elements lasted until &nbsp;17,000 BP. and Russia.

The Gravettian culture is known for their artistic works including the famous Venus figurines, which were typically carved from either ivory or limestone. The culture was first identified at the site of La Gravette in the southwestern French department of Dordogne. While historically assumed to represent a genetically homogenous group, recent analysis of ancient DNA sequences suggests that the Gravettian was produced by multiple genetically divergent groups of hunter-gatherers. Eastern Gravettian-producing groups belong to the Věstonice cluster, while western Gravettian-producing groups belong to the Fournol cluster, both of which have genetic continuity from producers of the earlier Aurignacian. Fournol cluster-related groups are thought to be the ancestors of the producers of the following Solutrean and Magdalenian cultures present in Western Europe after the Last Glacial Maximum, while the producers of the Epigravettian are genetically distinct from Gravettian-producing groups. Blades and bladelets were used to make decorations and bone tools from animal remains.

Gravettian culture extends across a large geographic region, as far as Estremadura in Portugal. but is relatively homogeneous until about 27,000 BP. They developed burial rites, Surviving Gravettian art includes numerous cave paintings and small, portable Venus figurines made from clay or ivory, as well as jewelry objects. The fertility deities mostly date from the early period; there are over 100 known surviving examples. They conform to a very specific physical type, with large breasts, broad hips and prominent posteriors. The statuettes tend to lack facial details, and their limbs are often broken off. due to its similar characteristics, particularly its Venus figurines, but any hypothetical connection would have to be cultural and not genetic: a 2016 genomic study showed that the Mal'ta people have no genetic connections with the people of the European Gravettian culture (the Vestonice Cluster).

Diet

thumb|The [[Venus of Brassempouy|Lady of Brassempouy from the Western Gravettian]]

Animals were a primary food source for humans of the Gravettian period. Since Europe was extremely cold during this period, they preferred food sources high in energy and fat content. Testing comparisons among various human remains reveal that populations at higher latitudes placed greater dietary emphasis on meat. A defining trait distinguishing Gravettian people was their ease of mobility compared to their Neanderthal counterparts. Modern humans developed the technology and social organization that enabled them to migrate with their food source whereas Neanderthals were not adept at travelling, even with relatively sedentary herds.

With their ability to move with the herds, Gravettian diets incorporated a broad variety of animal prey. Gravettian diet included larger animals such as mammoths, hyenas, wolves, and reindeer killed with stone or bone tools, as well as hares and foxes captured with nets. Populations of lower latitudes relied more on shellfish and fish while higher latitudes' diets consisted of seals.

They were fairly slender and normally weighed between , although they would likely have had a higher ratio of lean muscle mass compared to body fat in comparison to modern humans as a result of a very physically active and demanding lifestyle. The females of the Gravettian were much shorter, standing on average, with an average weight of . Examinations of Gravettian skulls reveal that high cheekbones were common among them.

Hunting

thumb|Reconstruction of clothing and bone ornaments.|193x193px

Clubs, stones and sticks were the primary hunting tools during the Upper Paleolithic period. Bone, antler and ivory points have all been found at sites in France; but proper stone arrowheads and throwing spears did not appear until the Solutrean period (~20,000 Before Present). Due to the primitive tools, many animals were hunted at close range. The typical artefact of Gravettian industry, once considered diagnostic, is the small pointed blade with a straight blunt back. They are today known as the Gravette point, and were used to hunt big game. Gravettians used nets to hunt small game, and are credited with inventing the bow and arrow. As the settlers became more aware of the migration patterns of animals like red deer, they learned to prey herd in valleys, thereby allowing the hunters to avoid travelling long distances for food. Specifically in Gr. La Gala, the glacial topography forced the deer to pass through the areas in the valley occupied by humans.

Discoveries in the Czech Republic suggest that nets were used to capture large numbers of smaller prey, offering a quick and consistent food supply and thus an alternative to the feast/famine pattern of large game hunters. Evidence comes in the form of thick rope preserved on clay imprints. Research suggests that although no larger net imprints have been discovered, there would be little reason for them not to be made as no further knowledge would be required for their creation.

Some animal bones were only used to create tools. Due to their shape, the ribs, fibulas, and metapodia of horses were good for awl and barb creation. In addition, the ribs were also implemented to create different types of smoothers for pelt preparation. The shapes of hare bones are also unique, and as a result, the ulnas were commonly used as awls and barbs. Reindeer antlers, ulnas, ribs, tibias and teeth were utilised in addition to a rare documented case of a phalanx.

Genetics

Fu et al. (2016) examined the remains of fourteen Gravettians. The eight males included three samples of Y-chromosomal haplogroup CT, one of I, one IJK, one BT, one C1a2, and one sample of F. Of the fourteen samples of mtDNA, there were thirteen samples of U and one sample of M. The majority of the sample of U belonged to the U5 and U2.

Teschler et al. (2020) examined the remains of one adult male and two twin boys from a Gravettian site in Austria. All belonged to haplogroup Y-Haplogroup I. and all had the same mtDNA, U5. According to Scorrano et al. (2022), "the genome of an early European individual from Kostenki 14, dated to around 37,000 years ago, demonstrated that the ancestral European gene pool was already established by that time."

A 2023 study found that Gravettian-producing peoples belonged to two genetically distinct clusters. Fournol in the west (France and Spain) and Věstonice in the east (Czech Republic, Poland, Austria, Slovakia and Italy) both of whom traced their descent from producers of the earlier Aurignacian culture. Some individuals showed mixed ancestry from both clusters where the range of the two clusters bordered. The study found that members of the western Fournol cluster were ancestral to later Western European Cro-Magnon groups that existed after the Last Glacial Maximum, the producers of the Solutrean and Magdalenian cultures. All Gravettian-producing peoples are strongly genetically distinct from the producers of the later Epigravettian, who are genetically referred to as the Villabruna cluster, who show a greater affinity to ancient and modern peoples in West Asia than other Palaeolithic European hunter-gatherer groups. There is evidence of some genetic affinity between the Villabruna and Věstonice clusters, which may reflect shared common ancestry from the Balkans region.

<gallery>

File:Venus-de-Laussel-vue-generale-noir.jpg|Venus of Laussel, France, c. 23,000 BC. The markings on the horn may represent the lunar cycle.

File:Male figurine, mammoth ivory, Anthropos, Brno, 187999.jpg|Male figurine, mammoth ivory, Anthropos, Brno

File:Vénus de Lespugue Gravettien Musée de l'Homme 04022018 3.jpg|Venus of Lespugue

File:Vestonicka venuse edit.jpg|Venus of Dolní Věstonice

File:Female figurines, Gravettian, Anthropos, Brno, 187957.jpg|Female figurines, Gravettian, Anthropos, Brno

File:KM - Altsteinzeit Mammut.jpg|Mammoth figurine from Predmosti, Czech Republic

File:URMU Blaubeuren Frauenstatuetten Gravettien.jpg|Various Gravettian statuettes

File:Shaman equipment, Brno, Gravettian, 076836.jpg|Shaman equipment, Brno, Gravettian

File:Abri du Poisson Cave - 1.jpg|Fish in Abri du Poisson Cave

File:Engraving on a mammoth tusk, map, Gravettian, 076872.jpg|Engraving on a mammoth tusk, map

File:Engraving on a mammoth tusk, map, Gravettian, 076872y.jpg|Engraving on a mammoth tusk, map

File:Brillenhoehle Blaubeuren Schmuckanhaenger Tafel17.jpg|Gravettian necklace

File:Gravettian engraving (Venus of Předmostí).jpg|Gravettian engraving (Venus of Předmostí)

File:Venus 4 from Kostenki RU front.jpg|Venus figurine from Kostenki, Russia

File:Venus de Lespugue (replica).jpg|Replica of the Venus of Lespugue

File:Reconstruction of the Lady of Brassempouy by Libor Balák, Czech Academy of Sciences, the Institute of Archaeology in Brno, The Center for Paleolithic and Paleoethnological Research.jpg|Reconstruction of the Lady of Brassempouy by Libor Balák

File:Vlčí radius.jpg|Engraved 'Wolf Bone' from Dolni Vestonice, c. 26,000 BP. The notches may represent numbers.

File:Musée d'Aquitaine - Collection préhistoire 17.jpg|Tools, France

File:Spoon, Gravettian, Anthropos, Brno, 187965.jpg|Engraved spoon, Dolni Vestonice

File:Frauenstatuette Gagarino 1.jpg|Venus figurine from Gagarino, Russia

</gallery>

See also

  • Montgaudier Cave
  • , closest to the type-site of La Gravette

Note

References

Sources

  • 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
  • Cave sites in France
  • 20,000-year-old Gravettian stone pendant found in Piatra Neamţ, Romania
  • Prehistoric jewelry reveals 9 distinct cultures across Stone Age Europe (2024)