Investigating the symbolic aspects of flint in the making of prehistoric cultures: The case of the Middle Magdalenian of Southwestern France

Summary

Recent research on Magdalenian flint provisioning strategies in southwestern France, particularly from sites associated with decorated caves, have opened doors to new interpretations regarding the role that these materials played in the construction and maintenance of Magdalenian society. Beyond the traditional typological and technological factors that seem to mainly fluctuate according to circumstances, more consistent symbolic functions appear to have been imbedded in most of these materials, and in close connection to the area from which they originate. Echoing similar behaviors noted in other prehistoric contexts, these observations offer a genuinely renewed vision of Magdalenian culture.

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This Resource is Part of the Following Collections

• Magdalenian social geographies in Western Europe   •
• Society for American Archaeology 80th Annual Meeting, San Francisco, CA (2015)

Keywords

Spatial Coverage