The pleistocene Makrofauna of Bockstein (Lone Valley - Swabian Jura). A new method for reconstructing palaeoenvironment

Der Bockstein ist eine paläolithische Fundstelle im Lonetal auf der schwäbischen Alb. Erste Ausgrabungen fanden im 19. Jahrhundert statt. Für die vorliegende Arbeit wurden die Befunde der Grabungen Robert Wetzels aus den 30er und 50er Jahren des 20. Jahrhunderts ausgewertet. Die Faunenreste wurden archäozoologisch ausgewertet, außerdem konnte für einige Fundschichten die Paläoumwelt rekonstruiert werden.Bockstein is a Palaeolithic site in the Swabian Jura. First excavations took place in the 19th century. This thesis is the archaeozoological analysis of the faunal remains of the excavation of Robert Wetzel in the 20th century. It was possible to reconstruct also the palaeoenvironment for several middle and younger Palaeolithic layers

Exploring cave use and exploitation among cave bears, carnivores and hominins in the Swabian Jura, Germany

This study offers an overview of carnivore remains from archaeological contexts and provides evidence of interaction between carnivores and hominins in the Swabian Jura during the Middle and Upper Paleolithic (~50,000-27,000 uncal B.P.). First, we present data on the carnivores in the faunal assemblages from the area, followed by a general comparison of anthropogenic and carnivore modifications on faunal remains. Further, we describe some archaeological findings that demonstrate unique ways in which humans interacted with carnivores in the early and middle Upper Paleolithic. This study documents the pattern of carnivore representation in the zooarchaeological assemblages on a regional scale. The analyses of faunal assemblages across five cave sites in the two valleys of the Swabian Jura indicate intensified use of caves by humans, which corresponds to a decreased presence of large and medium sized carnivores at the beginning of the Upper Paleolithic in addition to the use of carnivore figures in the cultural repertoire of the Aurignacian and the increased exploitation of carnivores in the Gravettian period