Plant use and local vegetation patterns during the second half of the Late Pleistocene in southwestern Germany

Abstract

In light of recent discoveries of early figurative art in Paleolithic sites of southwestern Germany, gaining an improved understanding of biological, cultural, and social development of these hunter-gatherer populations under past environmental conditions is essential. The analysis of botanical micro-and macrofossils from the Hohle Fels Cave contributes to the limited floral record from this region. These data suggest generally open vegetation, with the presence of wood near Hohle Fels, as indicated by pollen, phytoliths, and evidence from wood charcoal throughout the whole sequence of occupation. The Aurignacian horizons (early Upper Paleolithic, starting around 44,200 calibrated years before present (cal yr BP) correlate with prevailing shrub tundra. Few arboreal pollen in the transitional section from the Aurignacian to the Gravettian horizons (middle Upper Paleolithic, until ca. 32 cal yr BP) supports the model of an interglacial tundra with a mosaic of cold steppe elements and some patches of woody species. In the Gravettian, the macrobotanical and the palynological records indicate colder climatic conditions and a generally reduced presence of wood patches. Few seed remains, mostly of the Asteraceae and Poaceae families suggesting the use of these plants. The collection of bearberry (Arctostaphylos sp.) for specific purposes is indicated by large amounts of bark fragments.

Blade and bladelet production at Hohle Fels Cave, AH IV in the Swabian Jura and its importance for characterizing the technological variability of the Aurignacian in Central Europe

“…R. R. Schmidt studied the archaeological finds and published them in his seminal monograph from 1912 [ 11 ]. After a long break, the Tübingen prehistorian Gustav Riek conducted further excavations from 1958 to 1960 but never published his results [ 12 ].…”

“…Based on micromorphological studies, C. E. Miller concluded that bearers of the Aurignacian “ arrived in the Ach Valley during a warm period about 40 kyr BP and that this warm period was subsequently followed by a cold period ” [ 5 ]. Palaeobotanical data of Hohle Fels suggest a tundra dominated by pine with boreal elements during the lower Aurignacian and an increase of willow indicating a shrub tundra during the upper Aurignacian (GH 6) [ 12 ]. This view is supported by micromorphological studies indicating “ increasingly colder conditions in the form of frost-related features and decreasing degree of phosphatization ” [ 12 ].…”

“…Aurignacian horizon IV, which is the focus of this paper, accumulated during a cold phase [ 5 , 12 ]. The maximum mean age of about 39 ka calBP (95% peak) might suggest a correlation with the end of the marked cold period of the Heinrich-4-event; Riehl et al [ 12 ] correlate it with the cold phase subsequent to GI 8, which is in agreement with the minimum mean age of the horizon ( Fig 3A ).…”

“…Aurignacian horizon IV, which is the focus of this paper, accumulated during a cold phase [ 5 , 12 ]. The maximum mean age of about 39 ka calBP (95% peak) might suggest a correlation with the end of the marked cold period of the Heinrich-4-event; Riehl et al [ 12 ] correlate it with the cold phase subsequent to GI 8, which is in agreement with the minimum mean age of the horizon ( Fig 3A ). Overlying archaeological horizon AH IIIb seems to belong to the end of the same cold period, while the uppermost Aurignacian horizon AH IIIa was accumulated under warm and moist conditions with a chronological peak around 36.7–34.2 ka calBP (95% peak).…”

Ochre and pigment use at Hohle Fels cave: Results of the first systematic review of ochre and ochre-related artefacts from the Upper Palaeolithic in Germany

“…The beginning of the Aurignacian at HF is characterised by an initially mild, dry phase followed by a warm wet phase, with the environment being largely tundra-based with boreal elements indicated by the presence of several characteristic pine species represented in the palynological record [149]. Micromorphological investigations show that there was little erosion of sediments into or out of the cave during this time period [77].…”