AT THE CROSSROADS

François BON

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Abstract

This paper contributes to the discussion of one of the central questions raised by the Aurignacian: can we really identify the mechanisms of a biological and behavioral coevolution in this key transitional culture between the Middle and Upper Paleolithic, associating anatomically modern humans with a range of accomplishments also readily described as “modern”? And if so, how did these different parameters influence each other? The analysis proposed here suggests that, above all, the reconfiguration of social relations was a decisive driving force behind evolution, directly influencing biological diversity through increased contact and intermingling between groups and populations.

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