A man buried in France in the Upper Paleolithic era
The Solutrean culture is a fascinating and significant archaeological period in prehistoric European history, primarily identified with the Upper Paleolithic era. It is named after the type site of Solutré in eastern France. The Solutrean period spans approximately 22,000 to 17,000 years ago, during the last glacial maximum, a time when ice sheets were at their maximum extent and the climate was considerably cooler and drier than today.
Geographic Distribution
The Solutrean culture is mainly located in southwestern Europe, with significant sites found in modern-day France, Spain, and Portugal. These regions offered a range of ecological zones, from coastal areas to continental interiors, that provided diverse resources for Solutrean people. Notable sites where Solutrean artifacts have been discovered include Laugerie-Haute, Pech Merle, and Lascaux in France, as well as the Côa Valley in Portugal.
Technological Innovations
A defining characteristic of the Solutrean culture is its sophisticated lithic technology. Solutrean artisans are particularly renowned for their finely crafted stone tools, which exhibit remarkable skill and aesthetic quality. Tools from this period include:
Leaf-shaped Points: Solutrean points are distinct for their thin, symmetrical, leaf-like shape, achieved through precise pressure flaking techniques. The creation of these tools marks a significant innovation in stone tool technology, reflecting advanced skill and an understanding of fracture mechanics.
Burin and Scrapers: These tools were used for working bone, antler, and hide, essential for everyday survival tasks. Burins, in particular, highlight the Solutreans' adeptness at creating tools for engraving and carving.
Bone and Antler Tools: Besides stone, the Solutrean people utilized bone and antler to create tools such as needles, awls, and spear-throwers (atlatls), demonstrating their adaptability and resourcefulness.
Subsistence Strategies
The Solutrean period occurred during a time when Europe was largely covered in tundra and steppe environments. Solutrean hunter-gatherers adapted to these challenging conditions through a diverse subsistence strategy, primarily relying on hunting large migratory herbivores like reindeer, horses, and mammoths.
Hunting Techniques: They likely used communal hunting techniques to drive herds of animals into natural traps or ambush points. The development of atlatls (spear-throwers) would have enhanced their hunting capabilities, allowing for increased power and accuracy when targeting game at a distance.
Gathering: In addition to hunting, they gathered a variety of plant materials, although the harsher climates of the glacial epoch would have made this aspect of their subsistence less predictable and more seasonal.
Artistic Expression
Solutrean culture is also noted for its contributions to prehistoric art, a hallmark of the Upper Paleolithic period. Art from this era includes:
Cave Paintings: Some of the most famous cave art sites in the world, such as Lascaux, can be associated with the cultural expressions of the time, though they are not exclusively Solutrean. These art forms depict a range of animals, human figures, and abstract symbols, rendered in ochre and charcoal.
Portable Art: Carvings and engravings on bone, antler, and stone objects, often depicting animals or geometric patterns, provide insight into the symbolic and possibly spiritual lives of the Solutrean people.
Social Organization
While direct evidence about the social structures of Solutrean communities is scarce, inferences can be made from their art, technology, and settlement patterns.
Settlements: Solutrean people were nomadic or semi-nomadic, establishing temporary campsites near rivers or other water sources. These sites often contained evidence of repeated occupation, suggesting a strategic understanding of the landscape.
Group Dynamics: The complexity of their tools and art suggests some form of social organization with shared knowledge and traditions. The need to pass down intricate tool-making techniques likely involved teaching and cooperative behavior.
Cultural Significance
The Solutrean culture is a pivotal point in human prehistory, representing a fusion of technological and artistic advancements coupled with adaptive strategies in response to climatic challenges. While much about this culture remains shrouded in mystery, ongoing research continues to uncover the nuances of their existence and their contributions to human development.
In sum, the Solutrean culture provides a compelling glimpse into the lifeways of Upper Paleolithic societies, highlighting their ingenuity, adaptability, and the complex interplay between humans and their environment during the last Ice Age.
Ancient genetic admixture analysis compares the DNA profile of this individual (LPI002) 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 (LPI002) 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 LPI002 are as follows. You can analyze its admixture using G25 Studio.
LPI002,0.11142808,0.13134422,0.04110126,0.01641902,0.04104742,0.00805624,0.00057882,0.00485012,0.02231894,0.01887478,-0.0077665,0.00574412,-0.00474314,-0.0072657,0.01348154,-0.0032408,-0.00826142,-0.00040276,-0.00158708,-0.00505152,0.00094588,-0.00171032,0.00178722,-0.0040013,-0.0026343
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.