The Fauna from the Middle Paleolithic: Settlement, Dietary Patterns and Technology in the Swabian Jura

Abstract

With 150 years of research on the Paleolithic of the Swabian Jura, the region offers one of the richest records of Neanderthal occupation. The faunal remains from the caves of the Ach and Lone valleys provide an important source of data from Central Europe. Sites in the Lauchert and Brenz valleys further augment the picture. The frequency of burned bone remains demonstrates inter-site variability in Neanderthal occupation and some sites show carnivore and cave bear activities, which spatially overlapped with that of hominins. The studies demonstrate that Bockstein was the most frequently visited site during the Middle Paleolithic (MP). Horse often dominates the faunal assemblages with additional exploitation of reindeer and bovids. The role of mammoth and woolly rhinoceros in MP subsistence is hotly debated, remaining an open-ended question, but megafauna were occasionally exploited albeit at a lower frequency than during the Aurignacian. In addition, retouchers were a common osseous tool type during the MP in the Swabian Jura. These data compliment the MP record of the Rhine region and help us better understand the adaptation of Neanderthals in Central Europe.