The Magdalenian, spanning roughly 17,000–12,000 BP, was the final major technocomplex of the European Upper Palaeolithic. It emerged in the wake of the Last Glacial Maximum and is characterized by prolific bone and antler tool production, complex lithic industries, and the apogee of European cave art, including the masterpieces of Lascaux and Altamira. Geographically, it covered much of Western and Central Europe. Although the Magdalenian is most famous for its parietal art, it also produced a smaller number of portable figurines, including stylised female figures such as the Petersfels Venus in Germany. These figurines are less numerous than in the Gravettian and exhibit regional stylistic variability, raising ongoing questions about cultural continuity or symbolic re-invention (Bahn, 2012; Pettitt, 2011).
