Ancient Europe, Northeast Europe:11 LATVIA (Founded: 18.11.1918): Late Palaeolithic Period (14,000-9700 BC)

Evidence of human habitation during the Late Palaeolithic in Latvia has been found at two key sites, both dated to approximately 10,500-9000 BC. The Mellupīte antler, a Lyngby-type artefact named after Nørre Lyngby in Denmark where such items were first discovered, was found near the Mellupīte River in Kurzeme. It confirms the presence of nomadic hunter-gatherer groups during the Younger Dryas (10,900-9700 BC) at the end of the last Ice Age. The Salaspils Laukskola settlement, the second site, located on the right bank of the Daugava River in the Salaspils Municipality, Riga Region, is a vital site for understanding the transition from the Late Palaeolithic to the Early Mesolithic (9700-8300 BC) in the Eastern Baltic region.

The significance of the Salaspils Laukskola settlement lies in its clear evidence of both Ahrensburgian (11,000-9500 BC) and Swiderian (11,000-8200 BC) cultural traditions. These nomadic hunter-gatherers maintained economies focused heavily on hunting reindeer and elk in small, mobile groups..