Upper Paleolithic Transitions: Evidence from Organic Artifacts of Cantabrian Spain

Abstract

Changes in the morphology and patterns of elaboration of bone and antler artifacts are used to elucidate patterns of behavioral change in the Upper Paleolithic in Cantabrian Spain. Results from analyses of the organic artifact industries of Cantabrian industrial complexes indicate that in addition to the major behavioral shift at the Middle to Upper Paleolithic transition, important changes in human behavior began during the Solutrean and were fully established by the Lower Magdalenian. The appearances of these changes were temporally staggered and are clearest when compared to an Early Upper Paleolithic pattern of behavior. This research demonstrates that information about behavioral change can be recovered using an approach that examines artifact attributes that are different from those typically studied for organic artifact industries. Ultimately, this research relates to theories of behavioral transitions and the development of modern human behavior within the Upper Paleolithic.