Exploring cultural transmission dynamics and chrono-cultural variability in the Aurignacian: Insights from the Italian Peninsula

Summary

This is an abstract from the "Variability within the Aurignacian: New Research Outlooks" session, at the 90th annual meeting of the Society for American Archaeology.

The Aurignacian marks a critical phase in the expansion of Homo sapiens across Europe, defined by considerable internal variability. In Italy, this variability is evident as the earliest Aurignacian in the north appears contemporaneous with the Uluzzian in the south, highlighting distinct regional trajectories worth in-depth examination. This paper investigates the cultural dynamics of the Aurignacian south of the Alps and across peninsular Italy, focusing on environmental changes and cultural transmission processes to understand their roles in the chrono-cultural development of this technocomplex. Our multi-faceted approach combines lithic technology analysis, studies of bone tools and personal ornaments, and chronometric dating. These methods will enable us to assess the extent to which Aurignacian development in Italy aligns with broader European patterns while also exhibiting unique regional characteristics shaped by specific cultural transmission processes and diverse environmental and geological contexts. By integrating these varied lines of evidence, our study aims to deepen our understanding of the lifeways of foraging groups in Europe during the early stages of the Upper Paleolithic.

This Resource is Part of the Following Collections

• Society for American Archaeology 90th Annual Meeting, Denver, CO (2025)   •
• Variability within the Aurignacian: New Research Outlooks

Keywords

Record Identifiers

Abstract Id(s): 51037