The Epigravettian (Greek: ''epi'' "above, on top of", and

Gravettian 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 ...

) was one of the last archaeological industries and cultures of the European

Upper Paleolithic The Upper Paleolithic (or Upper Palaeolithic) is the third and last subdivision of the Paleolithic or Old Stone Age. Very broadly, it dates to between 50,000 and 12,000 years ago (the beginning of the Holocene), according to some theories ...

. It emerged after the

Last Glacial Maximum The Last Glacial Maximum (LGM), also referred to as the Last Glacial Coldest Period, was the most recent time during the Last Glacial Period where ice sheets were at their greatest extent between 26,000 and 20,000 years ago. Ice sheets covered m ...

around ~21,000 cal. BP or 19,050 BC. It succeeds the

culture in Italy. Initially named ''Tardigravettian'' (Late Gravettian) in 1964 by Georges Laplace in reference to several lithic industries found in Italy, it was later renamed in order to better emphasize its independent character. Three subphases, the ''Early Epigravettian'' (20,000 to 16,000 BP), the ''Evolved Epigravettian'' (16,000 to 14,000 BP) and the ''Final Epigravettian'' (14,000 to 8,000 BP), have been established, that were further subdivided and reclassified. In this sense, the Epigravettian is simply the Gravettian after ~21,000 BP, when the Solutrean had replaced the Gravettian in most of France and Spain. Several Epigravettian cultural centers have developed contemporaneously after 22,000 years BP in Europe. These range across southern, central and most of eastern Europe, including southwestern France, Italy,

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, the Caucasus, Ukraine and Western Russia to the banks of the

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. Its lithic complex was first documented at numerous sites in Italy. Great geographical and local variability of the facies is present, however all sites are characterized by the predominance of microliths, such as backed blades, backed points, and bladelets with retouched end. The Epigravettian is the last stage of the Upper Paleolithic succeeded by Mesolithic cultures after 10,000 BP. In a genetic study published in ''

Nature Nature is an inherent character or constitution, particularly of the Ecosphere (planetary), ecosphere or the universe as a whole. In this general sense nature refers to the Scientific law, laws, elements and phenomenon, phenomena of the physic ...

'' in May 2016, the remains of an Epigravettian male from Ripari Villabruna in

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were examined. He carried the paternal haplogroup R1b1 and the maternal haplogroup U5b. An Epigravettian from the Satsurblia Cave in

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, who was examined in a previous study, has been found to be carrying the paternal haplogroup J1 and the maternal haplogroup K3. An analysis of Epigravettian producing individuals in Italy indicates that they were not closely related to earlier Gravettian-producing inhabitants of the peninsula, and instead belong to the Villabruna genetic cluster. This group is more closely related to ancient and modern peoples in the Middle East and the Caucasus than earlier European Cro-Magnons. Epigravettian peoples belonging to the Western Hunter Gatherer genetic cluster expanded across Western Europe at the end of the Pleistocene, largely replacing the producers of the Magdalenian culture that previously dominated the region. File:Upper Paleolithic art, extremely stylized sculpture, Anthropos, Brno, 187944.jpg, Epigravettian artefact, extremely stylized sculpture, Anthropos, Brno. File:Epigravettian ceramic figurine of a horse or deer, Vela Spila, Croatia, 15400-14600 BP.jpg, Epigravettian ceramic figurine of a horse or deer, Vela Spila, Croatia, dated to 15,400-14,600 BP. File:Mezine Swastika.png, Engraved figurine from Mezine, Ukraine

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* {{Authority control Upper Paleolithic cultures of Europe Industries (archaeology) Archaeological cultures of Europe Archaeological cultures in Austria Archaeological cultures in Bulgaria Archaeological cultures in Croatia Archaeological cultures in Italy Archaeological cultures in Montenegro Archaeological cultures in Romania Archaeological cultures in Serbia Archaeological cultures in Slovakia Archaeological cultures in Ukraine Stone Age Austria

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