[7] The Gravettian culture is known for their artistic works including the famous Venus figurines, which were typically carved from either ivory or limestone.

The eastern Gravettians, which include the Pavlovian culture, were specialized mammoth hunters,[8] whose remains are usually found not in caves but in open air sites.

[12] They developed burial rites,[10] which included simple, purpose-built offerings and/or personal ornaments owned by the deceased, placed within the grave or tomb.

[13] Surviving Gravettian art includes numerous cave paintings and small, portable Venus figurines made from clay or ivory, as well as jewelry objects.

[12] During the post glacial period, evidence of the culture begins to disappear from northern Europe but was continued in areas around the Mediterranean.

Testing comparisons among various human remains reveal that populations at higher latitudes placed greater dietary emphasis on meat.

Modern humans developed the technology and social organization that enabled them to migrate with their food source whereas Neanderthals were not adept at travelling, even with relatively sedentary herds.

Gravettian diet included larger animals such as mammoths, hyenas, wolves, and reindeer killed with stone or bone tools, as well as hares and foxes captured with nets.

From remains found in Italy and Wales, isotope analysis reveals that 20–30% of Gravettian diets of coastal peoples consisted of sea animals.

[21][22] They were fairly slender and normally weighed between 67–73 kilograms (148–161 lb), although they would likely have had a higher ratio of lean muscle mass compared to body fat in comparison to modern humans as a result of a very physically active and demanding lifestyle.

Bone, antler and ivory points have all been found at sites in France; but proper stone arrowheads and throwing spears did not appear until the Solutrean period (~20,000 Before Present).

[26] The typical artefact of Gravettian industry, once considered diagnostic, is the small pointed blade with a straight blunt back.

[28] As the settlers became more aware of the migration patterns of animals like red deer, they learned to prey herd in valleys, thereby allowing the hunters to avoid travelling long distances for food.

[28] Additional evidence of strategically positioned settlements include sites like Klithi in Greece, also placed to intercept migrating prey.

Reindeer antlers, ulnas, ribs, tibias and teeth were utilised in addition to a rare documented case of a phalanx.

Fournol in the west (France and Spain) and Věstonice in the east (Czech Republic, Poland, Austria, and Italy) both of whom traced their descent from producers of the earlier Aurignacian culture.

There is evidence of some genetic affinity between the Villabruna and Věstonice clusters, which may reflect shared common ancestry from the Balkans region.