Federmesser culture

An arrow head from the Federmesser culture

The Paleolithic
↑ Pliocene (before Homo)
Lower Paleolithic (c. 3.3 Ma – 300 ka) Oldowan (2.6–1.7 Ma) Riwat (1.9–0.045 Ma) Soanian (0.5–0.13 Ma) Acheulean (1.8–0.1 Ma) Clactonian (0.3–0.2 Ma) Middle Paleolithic (300–45 ka) Mousterian (600–40 ka) Micoquien (130–70 ka) Aterian (82 ka) Upper Paleolithic (40–10 ka) Baradostian (36 ka) Châtelperronian (41–39 ka) Aurignacian (38–29 ka) Gravettian (29–22 ka) Solutrean (22–17 ka) Magdalenian (17–12 ka) Hamburg (14–11 ka) Federmesser (14–13 ka) Ahrensburg (12–11 ka) Swiderian (11–8 ka)
↓ Mesolithic ↓ Stone Age

The Federmesser culture or Federmesser group is a tool-making tradition of the late Upper Palaeolithic era, of the Northern European Plain from Poland (where the culture is called Tarnowian and Witowian) to northern France and Britain, dating to between 14,000 and 12,800 years ago. It is closely related to the Tjongerian culture, as both have been suggested as being part of the more generalized Azilian culture.

It used small backed flint blades, from which its name derives (Federmesser is German for "feather knife"), and shares characteristics with the Creswellian culture in Britain.

See also

• Late Glacial Maximum
• Ahrensburg culture
• Paleolithic Continuity Theory
• Hamburg culture
• Magdalenian
• Kozarnika
• Laacher See