Gravettian

American  

[gruh-vet-ee-uhn] / grəˈvɛt i ən /

adjective

1. of, relating to, or characteristic of an advanced Upper Paleolithic industry of Europe dating to c25,000 b.c. and characterized by straight, blunt-backed blades.

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Gravettian British  

/ ɡrəˈvɛtɪən /

adjective

1. of, referring to, or characteristic of an Upper Palaeolithic culture, characterized esp by small pointed blades with blunt backs

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Etymology

Origin of Gravettian

1935–40; after la Gravette on the Dordogne, France; see -ian

Example Sentences

After they arrived, they lived for several thousand years sharing the Gravettian culture but remaining genetically distinct.

From New York Times • Mar. 1, 2023

“You can make a case for saying the Gravettian is the first pan-European culture,” says University of Tübingen archaeologist Nicholas Conard.

From Science Magazine • Mar. 1, 2023

About 33,000 years ago, as the climate turned cold, a new culture called the Gravettian arose across Europe.

From New York Times • Mar. 1, 2023

The Gravettian data are part of a larger trove of ancient European DNA that reveals striking genetic diversity within apparently unified prehistoric cultures.

From Science Magazine • Mar. 1, 2023

Gravettian hunters made spears to kill woolly mammoths and other big game.

From New York Times • Mar. 1, 2023