A very model of a modern human industry: new perspectives on the origins and spread of the Aurignacian in Europe

Description/Abstract

This paper accepts the position that the European Aurignacian should be seen as a reflection of behaviour connected to a modern human dispersal. A two-phase dispersal model ('Pioneer' and 'Developed' facies) is proposed to explain the variations in artefactual diversity and spatio-temporal patterning, enacted by directional, rapid movement across the continent rather than by a 'Wave-of-Advance'. Presumed behavioural signatures of this population dispersal, notably what is here termed 'behavioural flexibility', are also explored.