Western visitors at the Blätterhöhle (city of Hagen, southern Westphalia) during the Younger Dryas? A new final palaeolithic assemblage type in western Germany

Until now, it was considered certain that the last reindeer hunters of the Ahrensburgian (tanged point groups) existed exclusively in northwestern Central Europe during the Younger Dryas Cold Period (~ Greenland Stadial 1). The excavations carried out since 2006 on the forecourt (Vorplatz) of the small Blätterhöhle in Hagen on the northern edge of the Sauerland uplands of southern Westphalia (North Rhine-Westphalia, western Germany) have now changed this view. Beneath a surprisingly extensive sequence of Mesolithic find horizons, Pleistocene sediments could be reached whose excavations yielded a Final Palaeolithic lithic ensemble of the Younger Dryas, unusual for the region and beyond. It is characterised by numerous backed lithic projectile points of high variability. Comparisons suggest a typological-technological connection with the Western European Laborian / Late Laborian. Neither in the nearer nor in the wider surroundings has a comparable lithic find ensemble been found so far. In addition, there is a lack of clear evidence for the reindeer in the fauna. Surprisingly, the vast majority of radiocarbon dates of bones and charcoals from the investigated archaeological horizon of the Final Pleistocene proved to be significantly older than expected from their stratigraphic position. This phenomenon has not yet been clarified

Les groupes à Federmesser de l'Allerød en Rhénanie centrale (Allemagne)

ABSTRACT In the Central Rhineland Neuwied Basin the Laacher See volcano vered large areas with pumice ash, sealing the Altered land and preserving palaeontological archaeological localities. This Central Rhineland landscape was characterised by a mosaic vegetation in which stands of trees, of composition according to topography and hydrology, and in with dense undergrowth, with more open areas with a rich herbaceous vegetation. The Central Rhineland was inhabited at this time by the Federmessergruppen, a term applied generally here to the northern European late glacial techno- complex with curved-backed points.RESUMÉ Dans le bassin de Neuwied en Rhénanie centrale, l'éruption du volcan du Laacher See a recouvert de pierre ponce et de cendres de vastes étendues, fossilisant la surface Allerod et préservant des gisements archéologiques et paléontologiques. L'environnement reconstitué se caractérise, selon la topographie et l'hydrographie, par un paysage en mosaïque. Des espaces forestiers aux essences variées forment par endroit un couvert végétal dense et alternent avec des espaces plus ouverts, caractérisés par une riche végétation herbacée. Au cours de l'oscillation d'Allered, la Rhénanie était occupée par les "groupes à Fe- dermesser', terme généralement employé pour désigner le techno-complexe à pointes à dos courbe du Tardiglaciaire Nord européen.Street Martin, Baales Michael. Les groupes à Federmesser de l'Allerød en Rhénanie centrale (Allemagne). In: Bulletin de la Société préhistorique française, tome 94, n°3, 1997. pp. 373-386

Light for the - Dead Strike-a-Lights in the Late Neolithic Megalithic Tombs from Erwitte-Schmerlecke (Kr. Soest)

In this article a larger series of Neolithic strike-a-lights from a verified closed find is presented for the first time. 206 strike-a-lights were discovered in two late Neolithic gallery tombs from Erwitte-Schmerlecke in the Westphalian Hellweg zone which were completely examined between 2009 and 2013. The series mainly consist of little-worked Baltic flint fragments; however, tools of Western European flint were used as well. Particularly noteworthy are the fragments of two types of axe blades of Lousberg flint as well as two flint strike-a-lights with inherent spherical remains of the associated marcasite nodule. Comparable archaeological finds and the number of individuals buried in the graves from Schmerlecke indicate that only men were provided with such percussion strike-a-lights perhaps as a part of their day-to-day equipment/costume

Hafting with beeswax in the final palaeolithic

During the Last Glacial Maximum (LGM), much of the familiar insect fauna of Northern Europe today was confined to the warmer areas south of the Alps. Chemical and microscopic analysis of hafting residues on a Final Palaeolithic barbed point from Westphalia in Germanyhas,for the first time, yielded evidence for the use of beeswax as a major component of adhesive during the later stages of the LGM. Analysis also confirmed that the beeswax was tempered with crushed charcoal. AMS dating of the Bergkamen barbed point suggests direct association with the Final Pleistocene Federmessergruppen, approximately 13000 years ago. Furthermore, the adhesive provides the first direct evidence of the honeybee, Apis mellifera, in Europe following the LGM

Western visitors at the Blätterhöhle (city of Hagen, southern Westphalia) during the Younger Dryas? A new final palaeolithic assemblage type in western Germany.

Until now, it was considered certain that the last reindeer hunters of the Ahrensburgian (tanged point groups) existed exclusively in northwestern Central Europe during the Younger Dryas Cold Period (~ Greenland Stadial 1). The excavations carried out since 2006 on the forecourt (Vorplatz) of the small Blätterhöhle in Hagen on the northern edge of the Sauerland uplands of southern Westphalia (North Rhine-Westphalia, western Germany) have now changed this view. Beneath a surprisingly extensive sequence of Mesolithic find horizons, Pleistocene sediments could be reached whose excavations yielded a Final Palaeolithic lithic ensemble of the Younger Dryas, unusual for the region and beyond. It is characterised by numerous backed lithic projectile points of high variability. Comparisons suggest a typological-technological connection with the Western European Laborian / Late Laborian. Neither in the nearer nor in the wider surroundings has a comparable lithic find ensemble been found so far. In addition, there is a lack of clear evidence for the reindeer in the fauna. Surprisingly, the vast majority of radiocarbon dates of bones and charcoals from the investigated archaeological horizon of the Final Pleistocene proved to be significantly older than expected from their stratigraphic position. This phenomenon has not yet been clarified

Paléolithique final et Mésolithique en Allemagne réunifiée : bilan décennal

During the past ten years archaeological research on the German Final Palaeolithic and Mesolithic has experienced an important revival thanks to projects carried out by the Archaeologische Denkmalpflege (cf. Direction d’Antiquités), University Departments, Research Institutes and excavation companies. One clear sign of this renewed interest are the annual meetings of the « Arbeitsgruppe Mesolithikum » (Groupe de travail Mésolithique) which have taken place every spring since 1992, each year at a different location. At these meetings which are also open to interested colleagues from neighbouring regions, topical themes of Final Palaeolithic and Mesolithic interest are presented in lectures and it is also possible to study regional collections (artefacts, raw materials) at first hand. In 1998 numerous contributions to these meetings were published together in one volume (N.J. Conard and C.-J. Kind eds., 1998). Other major publications of the last several years include the results of a major campaign of prospecting and excavation in sandstone rock shelters close to Gottingen (Basse-Saxe) by K. Grote (1994) and of excavations on Mesolithic open air sites in Baden-Württemberg (Jochim, 1998 ; Kind. 1997). The transition from the Final Palaeolithic to the Mesolithic in Germany is poorly known and further research on this theme will be necessary. Major projects concerning the Final Palaeolithic groups of the Alleröd interstadial are in progress in the Neuwied Basin (Rhénanie Centrale) in the west and in the lignite-mining region of the Lausitz (mainly Saxe) in the east of Germany. New knowledge of the Tanged-Point groups of the Younger Dryas stadial is provided by the analysis of a number of sites in the uplands of the Mittelgebirge and by new excavations in northern and northeastern Germany (Schleswig-Holstein and Brandenburg). Excavations of importance for the early Mesolithic have been carried out particularly in Baden-Württemberg (Rottenburg-Siebenlinden), where, for the first time, it was possible to investigate open air sites with good organic preservation. Recent detailed studies of specific themes are intended to test the validity of current chronologies and artefact-typological classifications and their regional distributions. One example of this is a study of the young Mesolithic Rhine-Meuse-Schelde group in the West of Germany. Another study will systematically examine the composition, absolute dating and – if possible – chronological interpretation of organic artefacts from eastern Germany, a region relatively well provided with these objects. The final Mesolithic has been investigated by important excavations and material studies in Baden-Württemberg. Recently major new insights into the phenomenon of the Ertebolle-Ellerbek Culture in northern Germany (Schleswig-Holstein) has been obtained by new excavations and multidisciplinary studies.Au cours de la dernière décennie la recherche archéologique sur le Paléolithique final et le Mésolithique germaniques a connu un important renouveau grâce aux projets soutenus par l’Archaeologische Denkmalpflege (cf. Direction des Antiquités) des Départements universitaires, des Instituts de recherche et des sociétés de fouilles. La meilleure preuve de cet intérêt renouvelé en a été la réunion annuelle, chaque été et en divers lieux depuis 1992, du Groupe de travail Mésolithique. Lors de ces réunions, souvent ouvertes aussi aux collègues des régions voisines, les thèmes locaux concernant le Paléolithique final et le Mésolithique font l’objet de conférences et il est aussi possible d’étudier des collections régionales (outillages, matières premières) de première main. En 1998, beaucoup de contributions à ces réunions furent publiées en un seul volume (N.J. Conard et C.J. Kind, éd., 1998). D’autres publications majeures de plusieurs années antérieures contiennent les résultats des grandes campagnes de prospection et de fouille dans les abris sous roche gréseux de Gottingen (Basse-Saxe) par K. Grotte (1994) ainsi que les résultats des fouilles de sites de plein air en Bade-Wurtemberg (Jochim, 1998 ; Kind, 1997). La transition Paléolithique final/Mésolithique en Allemagne est moins bien connue et méritera de plus amples recherches. La plupart des projets concernant les groupes du Paléolithique final ont à l’ouest, fait des progrès dans le bassin de Neuwied (Rhénanie centrale) et à l’est, dans la région de mines lignite du Lausitz (en grande partie en Saxe). De nouvelles données sur les groupes des Pointes à soie du Dryes récent sont fournies par les analyses d’un certain nombre de sites des hautes terres du Mittlegebirge et de nouvelles fouilles en Allemagne du Nord et du Nord-Est (Schleswig-Holstein et Brandebourg). Pour les débuts du Mésolithique, des fouilles d’importance ont été menées plus spécialement en Bade-Würtemberg (Rottenburg-Siebenlinden) où, pour la première fois, il a été possible d’étudier des sites de plein air avec une bonne conservation des matières organiques. De récentes études de détail sur des thèmes spécifiques visent à vérifier les chronologies en cours, les classifications typologiques des industries et leurs répartitions régionales. Un exemple en est, en Allemagne occidentale, une étude du groupe Rhin-Meuse-Escaut du Mésolithique final. Un autre programme doit examiner systématiquement la composition, les datations absolues et, si possible, l’interprétation chronologique des artefacts organiques d'Allemagne orientale, région qui en a fourni relativement beaucoup. Le Mésolithique final est connu par des fouilles importantes et les études du matériel en Bade-Würtemberg. Récemment de nouveaux aperçus concernant le phénomène de la culture d’Ertebölle-Ellerbek en Allemagne du Nord (Schleswig-Holstein) ont été obtenus grâce à de nouvelles fouilles et des études pluridisciplinaires.Street Martin, Jöris Olaf, Baales Michael, Cziesla Erwin, Hartz Sönke, Heinen Martin, Koch Ingrid, Pasda Clemens, Terberger Thomas, Vollbrecht Jürgen. Paléolithique final et Mésolithique en Allemagne réunifiée : bilan décennal. In: Préhistoire de l’Europe : des origines à l’Âge du Bronze. Actes du 125e Congrès national des sociétés historiques et scientifiques, « L’Europe », Lille, 2000. Paris : Editions du CTHS, 2003. pp. 343-384. (Actes du Congrès national des sociétés savantes, 125

Western visitors at the Bla¨tterho¨hle\it Blätterhöhle (city of Hagen, southern Westphalia) during the Younger Dryas?

Until now, it was considered certain that the last reindeer hunters of the Ahrensburgian (tanged point groups) existed exclusively in northwestern Central Europe during the Younger Dryas Cold Period (~ Greenland Stadial 1). The excavations carried out since 2006 on the forecourt $\it (Vorplatz)$ of the small $\it Blätterhöhle$ in Hagen on the northern edge of the Sauerland uplands of southern Westphalia (North Rhine-Westphalia, western Germany) have now changed this view. Beneath a surprisingly extensive sequence of Mesolithic find horizons, Pleistocene sediments could be reached whose excavations yielded a Final Palaeolithic lithic ensemble of the Younger Dryas, unusual for the region and beyond. It is characterised by numerous backed lithic projectile points of high variability. Comparisons suggest a typological-technological connection with the Western European Laborian / Late Laborian. Neither in the nearer nor in the wider surroundings has a comparable lithic find ensemble been found so far. In addition, there is a lack of clear evidence for the reindeer in the fauna. Surprisingly, the vast majority of radiocarbon dates of bones and charcoals from the investigated archaeological horizon of the Final Pleistocene proved to be significantly older than expected from their stratigraphic position. This phenomenon has not yet been clarified