Epigravettian culture

Epigravettian culture [Епіґраветська культура; Epigravetska kultura]. The last of the cultures of the Paleolithic Period on Ukrainian territories; it followed the Gravettian culture and preceded various cultures of the Mesolithic Period. It originated in a period of the relative stabilization of the climate following the Last Glacial Maximum. Epigravettian sites in eastern Europe stretched geographically from today’s Poland, Romania, and Moldova in the west to the upper Desna River region, the lower Don region, and Kuban region in today’s Russian Federation in the east. This period is occasionally referred to as Microgravettian culture to distinguish it from a related, but distinctive Epigravettian culture of Italy and southwestern France. The eastern European Epigravettian culture was also contemporaneous and linked with the Magdalenian culture of western and central Europe.

The Epigravettian culture epoch lasted in Ukraine from approximately the 18th to the 10th millennium BC. One of the culture’s defining features was the predominance of microlithic tools, including backed points, backed blades, and bladelets with retouched end. People of the Epigravettian culture engaged in hunting, gathering, and fishing. They lived a semi-nomadic life in loose tribal groupings, possibly with a matriarchal structure. Some of the late Gravettian sites in Ukraine, directly preceding Epigravettian period, include the Kyrylivska archeological site in Kyiv, Obolonnia archeological site in the Chernihiv region, and strata of the multi-occupational Molodove archeological site on the Dnister River.

In central and northern Ukraine the Epigravettian culture was associated with mammoth hunters. Between ca 16,000 BC and ca 13,000 BC hunting communities living along the Dnipro River and Desna River established more permanent and fairly large (with an area of up to 10,000 sq m) settlements that featured elaborate mammoth-bone dwellings. Such settlements have been excavated, for example, at the Mizyn archeological site, the Hintsi archeological site, the Mezhyrich archeological site, the Dobranichivka archeological site, and other locations. Notable artistic developments took place during that time, especially as seen in sculpture (particularly female figurines carved out of mammoth tusks from Mizyn or the schematic ‘map’ on a mammoth tusk from Mezhyrich) and adornments (such as a bracelet with an inticate meander design and shell jewellery). Painted mammoth bones that were used as percussion instruments at the Mizyn site and flutes found at the Molodove archeological site confirm that Upper Paleolithic humans created music, most likely, as a component of ritual ceremonies.

In the steppe region of today’s eastern and southern Ukraine the Epigravettian culture was associated with the hunters who pursued bisons, reindeer, and wild horses. The more notable Epigravettian sites in this region include the Amvrosiivka archeological site, Akarzha archeological site, and Rohalyk archeological site.

The Epigravettan culture was the last stage of the Upper Paleolithic Period and around 10,000 BC it was succeeded by Mesolithic cultures.

Marko Robert Stech

[This article was written in 2026.]