Le Paléolithique supérieur moyen

The middle phase of the Upper Palaeolithic is essentially represented by the Gravettian entity, which developed throughout Europe between 29,000 and 21,000 years Before Present. Its main markers include lithic points of a particular type, the only remnants of the composite weapons used for hunting, and female statuettes whose ‘style’ is remarkably consistent among various sites. These two elements indicate that the Gravettian hunter-gatherers were part of networks that enabled several powerful ideas to spread across a vast geographical area, despite a limited population density. Contrary to what some might have thought, however, the Gravettian does not appear to constitute a homogenous ‘archaeological culture’, as it is also characterised by a multitude of geographically localised technical traditions of varying longevity, highlighting the existence of major variations in both technical and cultural terms from one region to another.
The data currently available indicates that hunter-gatherer communities settled in Belgium on several occasions during the mid-Upper Palaeolithic, particularly during the brief climatic improvements that marked the last ice age. As is the case elsewhere in Europe, the material culture of these communities has several distinctive features, which are discussed in this chapter. Around 22,000 years Before Present, our regions finally ceased to be occupied due to the very inhospitable conditions (cold and dry) of the Last Glacial Maximum, for a period of around 10,000 years.