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AURIGNACIAN
THE FIRST MODERN HUMANS IN EUROPE
AN EARLY UPPER PALEOLITHIC STONE TOOL INDUSTRY
34,000 TO 23,000 YEARS AGO
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End scraper--burin from Tempo-Pialat site in southern France.
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A CAST OF THIS BLADE TOOL IS AVAILABLE
COMBINATION END SCRAPER--BURIN
UPPER PALEOLITHIC----AURIGNACIAN
TERMO PIALAT SITE
SOUTHERN FRANCE
UNIVERSITY OF KANSAS, MUSEUM OF ANTHROPOLOGY

   This combination Burin / Scraper was found on the Termo-Pialat site in Couze Valley southern France. It's an excellent example of a multi-purpose tool. One end is trimmed for use as a scraper, the other end is trimmed as a burin that could be used for engraving and the remaining edge is trimmed and could be used for either scraping or cutting. This blade tool was made from a very good quality white chert. It measures 2 3/16 inches (55mm) long.

   The climate during the Upper Paleolithic Aurignacian period was very cold and dry. Ice sheets a mile or more thick came as far south as mid-Germany and south Britain. It seems remarkable that these early modern humans were able to develop so rapidly in such a harsh climate. Some of the terms used to label this period in Europe are the Ice Age, the Upper Paleolithic and the Late Stone Age.

End scraper--burin from the Abri Blanchard site, France. End scraper--Burin from the Solvieux site, France. Straight dihedral burin from Tempo-Pialat site, France.
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COMBINATION BURIN / SCRAPERS & A BURIN
UPPER PALEOLITHIC----AURIGNACIAN
ABRI BLANCHARD, SOLVIEUX AND TERMO PIALAT SITES
SOUTHERN FRANCE

   These burins were found on three different Aurignacian sites in southern France. The first two from the left are combination burin / end scrapers. All three can also be classified into different burin types depending on the angle or number of burin flake removals. These are all dihedral burins. They have two burin flake removals, one on either side of the working edge. There are several different types of dihedral burins such as straight, canted, angular, multiple and busqued. The burin on the right is a straight burin and the working edge shows extensive use wear.

    Aurignacian people were hunting and eating cold climate herd animals such as reindeer, mammoth, woolly rhinoceros, steppe horse, and bison. Engraved images of these animals begin to appear on bone and ivory. Much of that engraving was done with various types of burins.

Backed knife from the Abri Blanchard site, France.
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BACKED BLADE (KNIFE)
UPPER PALEOLITHIC----AURIGNACIAN
ABRI BLANCHARD ROCK SHELTER SITE
SOUTHERN FRANCE
AMERICAN MUSEUM OF NATURAL HISTORY COLLECTION

   Backed blades are one of the most common blade tools made during the European Upper Paleolithic period. They were made by steeply trimming one edge of a blade by pressure flaking. This design allowed the user to apply pressure against the blunted edge with an index finger for cutting with the opposite sharp edge. Experiments have shown that a backed knife made of stone can skin an animal about as fast as a steel knife.

   The Aurignacian also produced what is believed to be early forms of calendars. This interpretation was made by Alexander Marshack who has studied hundreds of notched, scratched and decorated artifacts made of bone, ivory and stone. These objects have been found in all layers of the Upper Paleolithic.

Crested blade from the Abri Blanchard site, France.
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CRESTED BLADE
UPPER PALEOLITHIC-----AURIGNACIAN
SOLVIEUX SITE
SOUTHERN FRANCE

   This picture shows three views of a ridged or crested blade. These blades are actually initial core reduction waste flakes. They represent early stage shaping of the core just before the desired blades were struck from the core or nuclei. One or two sides of a core was usually trimmed to a vertical ridge then struck off to shape a good starting point for later blade removals. The ridge or crest can be seen in the view to the right.

"REFERENCES"

1970, "Tools of the Old Stone Age," by Jacques Bordaz.
1973, "The Old Stone Age," by Francois Bordes.
1988, "Encyclopedia of Human Evolution & Prehistory," by Ian Tattersall, Eric Delson & John Van Couvering.
1991, "The Roots of Civilization," by Alexander Marshack.
1993, "Handbook of Paleolithic Typology, Vol. I," by Andre Debenath and Harold L. Dibble.
1993, "Making Silent Stones Speak," by Kathy D. Schick and Nicholas Toth.

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