Emerging roughly 45–40 kyr ago, the Aurignacian culture in Europe brought long blades and bladelets from prepared cores, plus split-base bone and ivory points – a technological leap from Neanderthal Mousterian tools that spread across the continent.
Key facts:
- Late Aurignacian period: 33,000 to 26,000 years ago (transitional phase leading into Gravettian)
- Gravettian culture emerged around 33,000 to 20,000 years ago
- New tool types included Madian-type bone points and smaller bladelets
- Genetic samples from Goyet Caves (Belgium) and Kostenki 14 (Russia) show continuity with later Gravettian populations
- Bacho Kiro cave in Bulgaria at 45,000 years ago shows only ~1–3% Neanderthal ancestry (consistent with recent interbreeding events), not specifically 19% 'Aurignacian' ancestry