A man buried in Spain in the Upper Paleolithic era
The Gravettian culture, which thrived approximately 30,000 to 22,000 years ago, is notable for its significant contributions to the European Upper Paleolithic period. This culture is recognized for its technological advances, intricate art, and sophisticated social structures. It is part of the larger Gravettian cultural sphere, which spanned across Europe with notable regional adaptations, including those in the Iberian Peninsula (modern-day Spain).
Geographical and Environmental Context
During the Gravettian period, the climate was cold, marking the Last Glacial Maximum. In the Iberian Peninsula, glaciers covered the northern regions, pushing human habitation southward. The geography of Spain at the time included varied environments, from coastal areas to upland regions, which provided diverse ecosystems that influenced Gravettian life.
Subsistence and Tool-Making
The Gravettians are renowned for their sophisticated stone tool technologies. They used a distinctive method known as the \blade production technique," producing narrow stone blades and creating tools like points, scrapers, and burins. These tools allowed them to effectively hunt the megafauna common during this era, such as mammoths, reindeer, and horses. Apart from large game, they also exploited small game and plant resources, developing complex food-gathering strategies suited to their diverse environments.
Art and Symbolism
Art is one of the most fascinating aspects of the Gravettian culture, showcasing their impressive cognitive and creative capabilities. This era is famous for its "Venus figurines," which are small statuettes depicting female figures with exaggerated sexual features, possibly representing fertility symbols or goddesses. These figurines have been found throughout Europe, suggesting shared symbolic systems and ideas across vast distances.
In addition to figurines, the Gravettians produced parietal art, as seen in the cave paintings in regions like Altamira. These artworks predominantly feature animals and abstract symbols, reflecting both daily life and possibly spiritual or ritualistic beliefs.
Social Structure and Habitat
The Gravettian populations were likely organized into small, nomadic groups that practiced seasonal migration. These groups would aggregate in favorable locations during resource-rich periods and disperse during less productive times. They constructed semi-permanent dwellings using bones and animal hides, and some evidence suggests they used hearths for communal gatherings, indicating a strong sense of community and social cohesion.
Innovation and Adaptation
Adapting to a harsh climate, the Gravettians engineered clothing from animal hides and bones for the production of needles. These innovations were critical for their survival in glacial conditions. Furthermore, they developed techniques for using mammoth bones in their architecture, constructing durable dwellings to withstand the elements.
Burial Practices
Gravettian burial practices suggest a complex belief system. Graves from this period often contain grave goods, such as tools, ornaments, and ochre, indicating ritualistic behavior and possibly a belief in an afterlife or spiritual connection with their deceased.
Conclusion
The Gravettian culture of Spain represents a fascinating era characterized by innovation, adaptability, and artistic expression. Their legacy provides critical insights into the lifeways of early modern humans during the Upper Paleolithic, highlighting a period of significant cultural development and regional adaptation in response to environmental challenges. Through their tools, art, and social structures, the Gravettians laid important foundations for subsequent human societies."
Ancient genetic admixture analysis compares the DNA profile of this individual (GER002) with present-day reference populations. These results show what percentage of the individual's genetic makeup resembles ancient populations from different geographic regions.
Modern genetic admixture analysis compares the DNA profile of this individual (GER002) with present-day reference populations. These results show what percentage of the individual's genetic makeup resembles modern populations from different geographic regions.
These results complement the ancient ancestry components shown in the previous section, offering a different perspective on the individual's genetic profile by comparing it with modern reference populations rather than prehistoric ancestral groups.
The G25 coordinates for the sample GER002 are as follows. You can analyze its admixture using G25 Studio.
GER002,0.10061212,0.09377314,0.00829936,0.01102444,0.00873166,0.00274232,-0.00014546,-0.00033084,0.00370668,0.00352744,0.0010638,0.00353338,-0.00279766,-0.00120374,0.00506604,-0.00114406,-0.00017318,-0.00278008,-0.00159516,-0.00220574,0.00153946,0.00261016,-0.00039166,0.00410596,0.00179273
Palaeogenomics of Upper Palaeolithic to Neolithic European hunter-gatherers
Modern humans have populated Europe for more than 45,000 years1,2. Our knowledge of the genetic relatedness and structure of ancient hunter-gatherers is however limited, owing to the scarceness and poor molecular preservation of human remains from that period3. Here we analyse 356 ancient hunter-gatherer genomes, including new genomic data for 116 individuals from 14 countries in western and central Eurasia, spanning between 35,000 and 5,000 years ago. We identify a genetic ancestry profile in individuals associated with Upper Palaeolithic Gravettian assemblages from western Europe that is distinct from contemporaneous groups related to this archaeological culture in central and southern Europe4, but resembles that of preceding individuals associated with the Aurignacian culture. This ancestry profile survived during the Last Glacial Maximum (25,000 to 19,000 years ago) in human populations from southwestern Europe associated with the Solutrean culture, and with the following Magdalenian culture that re-expanded northeastward after the Last Glacial Maximum. Conversely, we reveal a genetic turnover in southern Europe suggesting a local replacement of human groups around the time of the Last Glacial Maximum, accompanied by a north-to-south dispersal of populations associated with the Epigravettian culture. From at least 14,000 years ago, an ancestry related to this culture spread from the south across the rest of Europe, largely replacing the Magdalenian-associated gene pool. After a period of limited admixture that spanned the beginning of the Mesolithic, we find genetic interactions between western and eastern European hunter-gatherers, who were also characterized by marked differences in phenotypically relevant variants.