Early Aurignacian cultural adaptations to late-Pleistocene climate change
Faculty Mentor
Michael Zukosky
Presentation Type
Oral Presentation
Start Date
May 2025
End Date
May 2025
Location
PUB 319
Primary Discipline of Presentation
Anthropology
Abstract
Widely considered the first Homo sapiens population to persist in Europe, the Early Aurignacian culture of the Upper Paleolithic adapted to and interacted with a changing late-Pleistocene environment. Temperatures trending cooler with frequent fluctuations resulted in large expanses of tundra c. 40,000 years BP. For example, average July temperatures at this time near modern-day Paris were 41 degrees F/5 degrees C. Into this cooling and fluctuating environment appeared the Early Aurignacian culture characterized by: distinctive bone, antler, and stone bladelet tools; the hunting of reindeer, horses, and other mid-sized herbivores; and art and jewelry with symbolic dimensions. This project reviews and analyzes the literature on the late-Pleistocene climate and Early Aurignacian culture c. 40,000 years BP using a cultural ecological framework, demonstrating that Aurignacian material culture design and function was environment-specific.
Recommended Citation
Robinson, Kenneth E., "Early Aurignacian cultural adaptations to late-Pleistocene climate change" (2025). 2025 Symposium. 10.
https://dc.ewu.edu/srcw_2025/op_2025/o2_2025/10
Creative Commons License
This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-No Derivative Works 4.0 International License.
Early Aurignacian cultural adaptations to late-Pleistocene climate change
PUB 319
Widely considered the first Homo sapiens population to persist in Europe, the Early Aurignacian culture of the Upper Paleolithic adapted to and interacted with a changing late-Pleistocene environment. Temperatures trending cooler with frequent fluctuations resulted in large expanses of tundra c. 40,000 years BP. For example, average July temperatures at this time near modern-day Paris were 41 degrees F/5 degrees C. Into this cooling and fluctuating environment appeared the Early Aurignacian culture characterized by: distinctive bone, antler, and stone bladelet tools; the hunting of reindeer, horses, and other mid-sized herbivores; and art and jewelry with symbolic dimensions. This project reviews and analyzes the literature on the late-Pleistocene climate and Early Aurignacian culture c. 40,000 years BP using a cultural ecological framework, demonstrating that Aurignacian material culture design and function was environment-specific.
Comments
This is an ongoing research project conducted for a grade for ANTR 330, environmental anthropology, this spring quarter 2025. The finished paper will be available at the end of the current quarter.