20000: Gravettian culture supplanted by Solutrean culture | 20000: Sơn Vi culture appears - Scroll Down for more details

The Transition from Gravettian to Solutrean Culture (c. 20,000 BCE)

Content:

Around 20,000 BCE, Europe witnessed a significant cultural shift as the Gravettian hunter-gatherer societies gave way to the Solutrean culture. This transition occurred during the Last Glacial Maximum (LGM), a period of extreme cold and expanding ice sheets that forced human populations to adapt or migrate.

The Gravettian Culture (c. 33,000-20,000 BCE)

The Gravettians were known for their advanced toolmaking, artistic expression (such as the famous Venus figurines), and successful adaptation to harsh Ice Age environments. They relied on big-game hunting (mammoths, reindeer, and bison) and developed sophisticated clothing and shelter techniques.

The Rise of the Solutrean Culture (c. 20,000-15,000 BCE)

The Solutreans, emerging primarily in southwestern Europe (modern-day France and Iberia), introduced remarkable innovations in stone tool technology. Their most distinctive artifacts were finely crafted, pressure-flaked spear points—some so delicate and skillfully made that they appear almost like blades rather than traditional projectile points.

Possible Causes of the Transition

1. Climate Change: The extreme cold of the LGM may have disrupted Gravettian subsistence strategies, favoring groups with more specialized hunting tools.
   
2. Technological Advancements: The Solutrean toolkit was better suited for hunting in open, icy landscapes, possibly giving them an advantage.
   
3. Population Movements: Some scholars suggest that the Solutreans may have been a new wave of migrants or a local evolution of Gravettian groups adapting to new pressures.

Controversies and Debates

• The "Solutrean Hypothesis" (a fringe theory) suggests that Solutrean peoples may have migrated to North America, though this is widely disputed by archaeologists.
  
• Artistic Continuity: While Gravettians were prolific in portable art, Solutreans shifted toward cave paintings, possibly foreshadowing the later Magdalenian explosion of Paleolithic art.

Conclusion

The shift from Gravettian to Solutrean culture reflects the dynamic nature of prehistoric societies under climatic stress. While the exact mechanisms remain debated, the Solutrean period stands out as a time of remarkable technological refinement before the eventual warming of the Earth and the rise of the Magdalenian culture.

Note: Archaeological evidence from this era is limited, and interpretations may evolve with new discoveries. Would you like more details on specific artifacts or sites?