Fossiles directeurs variability in Late and Final stages of the Gravettian of Central Europe

Abstract

The Upper Palaeolithic cultures in Central Europe are traditionally defined on the basis of lithic artefacts, predominantly various types of retouched tools, which are usually considered to be typical of a given culture. For the Late and Final Gravettian, the shouldered points and Kostenki knives are supposed to be the main fossiles directeurs in this region. Based on the identification of these artefacts in Central and Eastern European lithic assemblages, terms such as “Willendorf-Kostenki/Willendorf-Kostenkian”, or “Eastern Gravettian” or even “Shouldered Point Horizon” have emerged, pointing to the analogy between sites hundreds of kilometres apart. However, new excavations, revisions of old collections, as well as modern research methods, have brought new insights into these emblematic artefacts. Although they are likely to be found in some Central European Late and Final Gravettian assemblages, their occurrence is less common than had been anticipated in the past. Our paper aims to propose a historical “Central European” view on these traditional fossiles directeurs considering their identification and cultural value. We also describe their influence on the historical deve lopment of terminology in Central European Palaeolithic archaeology.