Week 8: Final Discussions of Upper Paleolithic
(Art, Extinctions); The Mesolithic in Europe &
the Epipaleolithic in the Near East
I. Magdalenian ca. 18-11 kya; bone needles, spear
thrower, harpoons; reindeer, red deer, salmon;
climate change, river & sea level changes; popula-
tion explosion? Largest sites in Périgord always
near river fords.
A. Parietal art (cave walls): 3 main centers.
Famous sites: (slides): Rouffignac,
Lascaux, Altamira, Font de Gaume, etc.
Sympathetic magic? (Henri Breuil);
Shamanism? (Jean Clottes)
B. Relationship between art and archaeofauna:
1. red deer & reindeer portrayed in rough
relation to their importance in the
archaeofauna;
1. larger spp. overportrayed relative to
their importance as game animals
C. Sex differences among anthropomorphs in
cave art:
1. rare in comparison with animal figures
b. 78% male, 22% female (of those where
sex can be told)
2. all running, walking, dancing, or
speared figures male; only males shown
in active modes; females portrayed
standing or lying down. Masked figures
(usually birds) are male when sex can be
told.
3. females more often shown in groups
D. Portable "art:" Grotte du Tai plaque: pos-
sible solar notation.
II. Extinction of Pleistocene Megafauna: Eurasia
A. Relatively few extinctions compared to New World (why?)
B. Among megafauna, 5 genera each with 1 species
become extinct between 15 & 10 kya:
1. Three tundra-steppe dwellers:
a. Mammuthus primigenius (woolly mammoth)
b. Coelodonta antiquitatis (woolly rhino)
c. Megaloceros gigantea ("Irish elk")
2. One steppe & forest dweller: Ovibos moschatus
(musk-ox, survived in NA)
3. One animal of nonboreal habitat:Homoioceros
antiquus (a buffalo of N. Africa), a savannah
dweller
C. Among slightly smaller animals, three large
predators become extinct: a cave bear and two big
cats
D. Steppe bison "becomes extinct" but is replaced by a
smaller member of the same genus, the woods
bison. Lion & hyena leave Europe but do not
become exctinct
E. Patterns? Boreal forms all disappear between 12,500
& 10,800 BP in SW France, presumably due to re-
duction or disappearance of habitat: period cor-
responds to a brief warm interval called the Al-
lerød: birch & pine invade central Europe. Sahara
dries up.
F. Some inhabitants of the Pleistocene cold steppes &
tundras (reindeer, saiga antelope, & Przewalskis
horse) were more adaptable & survived.
G. Burney: Humans contribute to many of these
extinctions due to hunting and habitat modifica-
tion, esp. in far north (colonized for first time in UP)
H. Many island megafauna (in Aegean, Mediterrane-
an, Pacific, and on Madagascar) survive the end of
the Pleistocene but fall prey to later human coloni-
zation and the rats, dogs, goats, etc. that people
bring with them
III. Extinction of Pleistocene Megafauna: Down Under
A. Extinctions severe: By about 45 kya Australia loses
19 genera (50 spp) after human colonization ca. 55 kya
1. These include 13 genera of giant marsupials
2. also a huge lizard, giant horned toroises, and an
ostrich-like bird
IV. Early post-Pleistocene adaptation in Europe:
the Mesolithic ("Middle Stone Age"): Broad Spectrum
hunting & gathering.
A. Younger Dryas: brief cold period in late 10,000s
B.P.: habitat returns briefly but Pleistocene animals
do not
B. pre-Boreal (10,000-9400 BP): first warm phase of
the post-Glacial. Called "birch-pine period" in
Denmark.
1. Azilian: France (after Mas d'Azil in the
Pyrenees), Spain, & Central Europe: microlithic
tools & cobbles painted with geometric designs
2. Epi-Gravettian (Italy): denticulated & notched
blades, short round scrapers, few burins or
backed pieces
C. Boreal (9400-7400 BP): drier than pre-Boreal;
temperatures similar to today. Hazel becomes
important tree in much of N. Europe. Water level in
ocean still rising rapidly. England isolated from
Continent by end. Maglemose culture in N. Eur-
ope: fishing hooks, spears, nets, paddles, bow &
arrow, deer-antler axes with flint microliths all
characteristic artifacts. Dogs only domesticated
animals. Hazel nuts, berries important in diet.
D. Atlantic (7400-4500 BP); "climatic optimum";
warmer & wetter than Boreal; development of
forest primeval of European imagination (not much
food for animals except boar); focus of adaptation
moves to seashore; Neolithic arrives in southern
Europe. Focus of adaptation moves to seashore.
Ertebølle culture in Denmark: permanently settled
groups in coastal areas. Fish traps, seine nets.
II. Epipaleolithic (Mesolithic) in Near East
A. Epipaleolithic I: 20,000-12,000 BP.
1. Cool, dry climate
2. Sites usually small, briefly occupied; hut
foundations at one site.
3. Artifacts mostly chipped stone tools,
especially distinctive microliths. Mortars,
pestles found at a few sites.
4. Gazelle & fallow deer most important, but
wide range of game utilized.
5. Populations low, widely dispersed, and
mobile.
B. Epipaleolithic II: 12,000 BP-10,500 BP.
1. Climate begins to improve (Bølling in Europe)
2. Most sites still small, but a few are >2000 m2;
larger sites are villages with circular huts or
pit dwellings.
3. Number of sites about same as in
Epipaleolithic II but period much shorter;
therefore population was growing rapidly.
4. Possible shift towards deliberate planting &
harvesting of pulses at this time?
5. Called Natufian (12,000-10,000 BP) in the
Levant & Zarzian (17,000-11,000 BP) in the
Zagros. Famous sites include:
a. Mallaha (13,000-11,000 BP; Levant)
b. Zawi Chemi Shanidar (11,000-10,000 BP;
Zagros)
c. Tell Abu Hureyra (11,000-10,000 BP ->)
Syllabus