Paleoclimatic and paleoenvironmental reconstructions based on the small vertebrates from the Middle Paleolithic of Hohle Fels Cave, SW Germany

Abstract

In this paper, we analyse the fish and small mammal assemblages from the Middle Paleolithic horizons of Hohle Fels Cave to reconstruct the paleoclimatic and paleoenvironmental conditions faced by the Neanderthal groups who occupied the site. The fish assemblage indicates that the freshwater ecosystem around this site was characterized by a pre-mountain river system with the presence of permanent, oxygen-rich, and cold running waters. The results of the Habitat Weighting Method and the Bioclimatic Model applied to the small mammal assemblage, coupled with the new dates obtained for the Archaeological Horizon (AH) IX, allow us to identify two different climatic phases. One phase (AH X-XII) is more temperate possibly corresponding to the end of Marine Isotope Stage (MIS) 5; the other (AH VI-IX) is colder and more arid corresponding to the end of MIS 4 through the beginning of MIS 3. Open environments with a relatively stable forest component dominated the landscape during this part of the Middle Paleolithic. These two climatic phases appear to correspond to different levels of occupational intensity by Neanderthals, with higher occupational intensity during mild climatic periods and lower intensity during cold, arid periods. Our climatic reconstruction and recent absolute dating, together with the recovery of a complete leaf point near the top of AH X, have important implications for the cultural stratigraphy and cultural chronology of the region. Archaeologist have traditionally viewed leaf points as key artefacts of the Blattspitzengruppe, a cultural complex attributed to the end of Middle Paleolithic; however, this stratigraphic, climatic, and chronological context indicates the need to revise this interpretation.

Ancient DNA of narrow-headed vole reveal common features of the Late Pleistocene population dynamics in cold-adapted small mammals

“…cf anglicus was only found in two sites in Hungary and one in Poland although Eemian dates could not be confirmed. By contrast, S. anglicus appeared in great numbers at the very beginning of the last glaciation during MIS 5d–a in various parts of Europe, such as the Rhone Valley and the Massif Central in France [ 58 ], the Ach Valley in Germany [ 59 ] and the Kraków-Częstochowa Upland of Poland [ 60 ]. This may suggest that the narrow-headed vole survived the Eemian interglacial in several refugia, and therefore their rapid re-colonization of Europe was possible as soon as the climatic cooling offered a suitable environment for its expansion.…”

Microvertebrate studies in archaeological contexts: Middle Paleolithic to early Holocene past environments

“…The third paper (Luzi et al 2022) analyzes together the fish and small mammal assemblages from the Middle Paleolithic levels of Hole Fels Cave (southwestern Germany) to reconstruct the past environmental conditions Neanderthals groups encountered when occupying the site. Applying the bioclimatic model for climatic inferences and the habitat weighting method for environmental inferences, the authors identified two different climatic phases.…”