Aurignacian

[ awr-in-yey-shuhn ]

adjective

1. of, belonging to, or typical of an Upper Paleolithic industry with characteristic stone and bone artifacts that is distributed from western France to eastern Europe and the Middle East.

Aurignacian

/ ˌɔːrɪɡˈneɪʃən /

adjective

1. of, relating to, or produced during a flint culture of the Upper Palaeolithic type characterized by the use of bone and antler tools, pins, awls, etc, and also by cave art and evidence of the beginnings of religion

Aurignacian

/ ôr′ĭg-nā′shən,ôr′ēn-yā′- /

1. Relating to an Upper Paleolithic culture in Europe between the Mousterian and Solutrean cultures, dating from around 32,000 to 25,000 years ago and characterized by flaked stone, bone, and antler tools such as scrapers, awls, and burins (engraving tools). Aurignacian culture is associated with Cro-Magnon populations and is especially noted for its well-developed art tradition, including engraved and sculpted animal forms and female figurines thought to be fertility objects. The earliest fully developed cave art, such as the painted animals in the Lascaux cave in southwest France, dates from this period.

Word History and Origins

Origin of Aurignacian¹

First recorded in 1910–15; Aurignac + -ian

Word History and Origins

Origin of Aurignacian¹

C20: from French Aurignacien, after Aurignac, France, in the Pyrenees, near which is the cave where remains were discovered

Example Sentences

Dr. Posth and his colleagues named the western population the Fournol people, and found a genetic link between this group and 35,000-year-old Aurignacian remains in Belgium.

From New York Times

Bones of early H. sapiens in Europe are scarce, so researchers try to match their presence to the tools they carried, such as the sophisticated artifacts known as the Aurignacian, including specialized bladelets, carved figurines, and musical instruments, which date from 43,000 to 33,000 years ago.

From Science Magazine

But researchers have puzzled over who crafted “transitional” artifacts—a grab bag of bone tools, beads, and jewelry immediately preceding the Aurignacian.

From Science Magazine

An exaggerated supraorbital ridge gave him an aurignacian, sinister appearance.

From Literature

He traveled to Germany, France and Bulgaria for excavations, and on one dig, after spending six weeks hunched over a 1-by-1-foot trench of dirt with a toothpick, he pulled a 35,000-year-old Aurignacian stone blade out of the ground.

From Los Angeles Times