Epigravettian culture [Епіґраветська культура; Epigravetska kultura]. The last of the cultures of the Paleolithic Period on Ukrainian territories; Epigravettian sites 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. It is occasionally referred to as Microgravettian culture to distinguish it from the related, but distinct Epigravettian culture of Italy and southwestern France. It was contemporaneous and related to the Magdalenian culture of western and central Europe. The Epigravettian culture epoch lasted in Ukraine from approximately the 17th to the 8th 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.

In central and northern Ukraine the Epigravettian culture was associated with mammoth hunters. Some of the early notable Epigravettian sites in Ukraine include the Kyrylivska archeological site in Kyiv and Obolonnia archeological site in today’s Chernihiv region as well as some strata of the Molodove archeological site on the Dnister River. With time, mammoth hunters 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 this time, especially as seen in sculpture (particularly female figurines carved out of mammoth tusks from Mizyn or the schematic landscape depiction on a mammoth tusk from Mezhyrich) and adornments (such as a bracelet with an elaborate meander design and shell jewellery). Painted mammoth bones that were used as percussion musical instruments at the Mizyn archeological 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 cultura 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.]