Perigordian

The Perigordian culture marks the beginning of the Upper Paleolithic. It is divided into three phases: the first (or initial) phase called Châtelperroniense; the second or evolved phase, called Gravettian; and the third phase or Upper Perigordian. It had its origin in the Mousterian culture of the end of the Middle Paleolithic.

It was developed mainly in France and the northern half of Spain and in its final phase also in Belgium and the Spanish Cantabrian area.

From the Late Perigordian derived an intermediate culture called the Proto-Magdalenian

Early Perigordian or Châtelperronian

The initial Perigordian or Châtelperroniense has a transition industry between the Mousterian and the Upper Paleolithic. It developed between 36,000 and 32,000 before present, approximately, at the end of a warm climatic phase. The name of this period comes from the eponymous site of the Grotte des Fées Chatelperron (France).

It is subdivided into:

• Archaic Châtelperroniwith features of the Middle Paleolithic.
• Initial Châtelperroni Or typical.
• Châtelperroniense evolved, has a strong influence of the Higher Paleolithic.
• Châtelperroniense regressivein which industries present high degradation.

General characteristics:

• The characteristic human type is the Neanderthal
• It is a cold period dominated by species such as rinoceronte lanudo and reindeer.
• Wide pine and oak extension. Climate deterioration causes the substitution of forest mass by a vegetable and arbusive cover.

• Furniture art appears for the first time, with rhythmic series of incisions, either on stone or on bone.
• The room places are limited to coarse huts, such as the circular plant built from mamut defenses.

Lithic industry:

• The director fossil is Châtelperron knife with curved back.
• Terminal scrapers that predominate on the sides.
• Development of the donkeys.
• The size became more laminar.
• There are also truncated leaves.
• The back of the knives shows a tendency to be rectilineated.

Evolved Perigordian or Gravettian

The evolved Perigordian or Gravettian developed during a cold climatic phase, where reindeer and mammoths predominated. It covers the Iberian Peninsula, France, Belgium, Italy, Central Europe, Ukraine and part of Russia.

There is a great cultural unity in the lithic industry, in the habitation structures, and in the female sculptures, called venus, which evoke female representations, with an average size of about 10 cm. Her silhouette presents an exaggeration of feminine attributes.

Bone tools are less abundant than in the Aurignacian, although the first decorated bone objects appear. Clay firing also appears.

Room structures are numerous and often highly complex, in circular or oval pits, dug into frozen ground, delimited by mammoth bones.

This phase, developed around 30,000 B.C. C., is characterized by the abundance of burins, even associated with scrapers, perforators, or truncated blades. On the other hand, there are fewer scrapers and they are generally flat. A characteristic tool is the so-called La Gravette point, with a rectilinear back. There are also leaves with a lowered back and bony assegaya tips.

Upper Perigordian

The Late Perigordian is characterized by the pedunculated La Font Robert points and the tiny Noailles burins. In its final phase there are many truncated and bitruncate leaves. There are crudely shaped animal statuettes, the first artistic manifestations of man, and female statuettes representing obese women, which have often been claimed to be associated with fertility rites.

The paintings began at this time, at first with representations of hands, in negative (surrounded by color) or positive, and series of dots; and later series of animals, at first very rough, stylizing later, and becoming polychrome, this type of art also existing during the Magdalenian, which followed this period. The animals were represented in profile, although the horns, ears and hooves were represented from the front or from three quarters.