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Aurignacian

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Abstract

The Aurignacian peoples lived in a period between glacial maxima as ice sheets were retreating and grasslands and forests were expanding in Europe. The climate was generally colder and drier than that found in Europe today, although during the middle of the tradition there developed a period of comparatively warmer and wetter conditions. The environment was dominated by grasslands and pine forests. In some areas, birch and oak forests were present. These environments supported a rich array of large Pleistocene mammals, from cave bear and lion to mammoth and wooly rhinocerous, with the grasslands supporting vast herds of more familiar animals such as the horse, bison, and antelope.

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© 2001 Springer Science+Business Media New York

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Peregrine, P.N. (2001). Aurignacian. In: Peregrine, P.N., Ember, M. (eds) Encyclopedia of Prehistory. Springer, Boston, MA. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-1-4615-1187-8_2

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  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/978-1-4615-1187-8_2

  • Publisher Name: Springer, Boston, MA

  • Print ISBN: 978-1-4684-7131-1

  • Online ISBN: 978-1-4615-1187-8

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