The Magdalenian was a late Upper Palaeolithic culture of Europe, named after the rock shelter of La Madeleine in the Dordogne region of France, and found mostly in France, Spain, Germany and neighbouring regions. Its people were hunter-gatherers who lived in the cold conditions at the end of the last Ice Age and relied on reindeer and horse, using finely made tools of bone, antler and flint, including spear-throwers, harpoons and needles. They are famous for their art, including the painted caves of Lascaux and Altamira, as well as small sculptures and engraved objects. As the climate warmed and the forests spread, the way of life changed, and the Magdalenian gave way to later cultures.
Before and after
- about 30,100 years agoThe Venus of Willendorf is carved
- about 23,100 years agoPeople are already in North America
- about 21,000 years agoLast Glacial Maximum
- about 20,000 years agoThe earliest known pottery is made in China
- from about 17,000 years ago to 12,000 years agoMagdalenian
- from about 16,000 years ago to 8th millennium BCEEpipaleolithic
- about 15,100 years agoDogs are domesticated
- from about 15,000 years ago to 1st millennium BCEJōmon period
- from about 14,000 years ago to 9th millennium BCENatufian culture
More in Evolution & life
- about 41,000 years agoNeanderthals disappear from Europe
- from about 40,000 years ago to 31,000 years agoAurignacian
- about 13,000 years agoThe megafauna of the Americas die out
- from 55th century BCE to 27th century BCECucuteni–Trypillia culture
- from 36th century BCE to 18th century BCECaral–Supe civilization
- from c. 3,300 BCE to 2,600 BCEYamnaya culture
The era
This moment belongs to the Human prehistory (300,000 years ago to 3,200 BCE), the human story before writing.