Revolution or evolution: the emergence of the Upper Paleolithic in Europe

Abstract

The emergence of the Upper Paleolithic is traditionally envisioned in terms of a clear rupture with the Middle Paleolithic. From this perspective, the Aurignacian is interpreted as the culture that would realize the systematization of numerous innovations and become the instrument of victory of Modern Humans over Neandertal populations. In this paper, I review current definitions of the early stages of the European Aurignacian and attempt to reformulate them in evolutionary terms. I hypothesize that one of the driving forces of the technological evolution of human groups between 45,000 and 30,000 bp could have been the search for technical solutions for the arming of projectiles. A greater temporal depth and a relative arrhythmia in the development of the constituent elements of the Upper Paleolithic are thus emphasized. The chronological and technological distinction of at least two major traditions – the Protoaurignacian and the Early Aurignacian – is considered, leading me to propose substantial modifications to the classic evolutionary models for the transition of the Middle to the Upper Paleolithic.