Where are the Immigrants? Questions about the Demographic Underpinnings of Late Pleistocene Cultural Changes in Western Europe

Abstract

Prevailing interpretations of late glacial “azilianization” processes in western Europe emphasize the role of adaptive responses to environmental changes by Late Epigravettian and Late Mag- dalenian populations. These interpretations stress the considerable cultural continuity across this transition. Recent DNA studies, however, have raised the possibility of a significant popu- lation turnover at this time, ultimately deriving from influences from the Near East, perhaps re- flecting a demographic expansion. Such an expansion—or migration—should be reflected by some abrupt changes in the archaeological record, which at present are not obvious or em- phasized. In an attempt to identify the proposed immigrants, the record in terms of lithic tech- nology, projectile use, the domestication of dogs, and artistic and mortuary behavior is examined.