Magdalenian culture

Magdalenian culture [Мадленська культура; Madlenska kultura]. One of the last cultures of the Paleolithic Period in Europe, named after the rock shelter of La Madeleine in France. Its sites were distributed geographically from today’s Portugal in the west to Poland in the east. It lasted from approximately the 15th to the 9th millennium BC and it was contemporaneous with and related to the Epigravettian culture of Italy and eastern Europe, including Ukraine. People of the Magdalenian culture engaged in hunting, gathering, and fishing. The most characteristic features of Magdalenian culture are associated with reindeer hunters, who also hunted red deer and wild horses. Notable artistic achievements of Magdalenian people included sculpture (particularly female figurines) and cave paintings.

[This article was updated in 2026.]