Magdalenian

[ mag-duh-lee-nee-uhn ]

adjective

1. of or relating to the final Paleolithic culture of much of western Europe, dating from c13,000–10,000 b.c. and notable for its artifacts of bone, antler, and ivory and for the cave art of western France and northeastern Spain.

Magdalenian

/ ˌmæɡdəˈliːnɪən /

adjective

1. of or relating to the latest Palaeolithic culture in Europe, which ended about 10 000 years ago

noun

1. the Magdalenian culture

Magdalenian

/ măg′də-lē′nē-ən /

1. Relating to the final Upper Paleolithic culture of Europe, succeeding the Solutrean and dating from about 17,000 to 11,000 years ago. Magdalenian tools and weapons are highly specialized and demonstrate skilled craftsmanship in bone and antler as well as flaked stone. The Magdalenians are best known for their sophisticated artwork, including engravings, sculpture, and polychrome wall paintings such as those found in the Altamira caverns in northern Spain.

Word History and Origins

Origin of Magdalenian¹

1880–85; < French magdalénien, equivalent to Magdalen- (Latinization of La Madeleine, the type site in SW France) + -ien -ian

Word History and Origins

Origin of Magdalenian¹

C19: from French magdalénien, after La Madeleine, village in Dordogne, France, near which artefacts of the culture were found

Example Sentences

The timing adds critical data points to genetic patterns seen elsewhere in Paleolithic Europe, where people with Western Hunter-Gatherer ancestry mingle with the earlier Magdalenian population, or replace them altogether, as postglacial tundra gives way to thick forests.

From Science Magazine

Changing vegetation and climate drove out the herds of reindeer and other large mammals Magdalenian people relied on.

From Science Magazine

A more permanent form of artistic expression is found in the spectacular cave paintings created by Magdalenian people at Lascaux in southern France and Altamira in northern Spain.

From BBC

Dr Bello said it is possible that the Magdalenian people at Les Varines may have used a pigment called ochre to decorate some plaquettes.

From BBC

We should regard the Magdalenian cave pictures as the final phase of a development that began as simple killing magic at a time when big game was plentiful but shifted its meaning when the animals became scarce.

From Literature