Breitenbach (archaeological site)

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Breitenbach archaeological site
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Location Breitenbach, Saxony-Anhalt, Germany
Coordinates 51°00′28″N12°05′06″E / 51.00778°N 12.08500°E / 51.00778; 12.08500 Coordinates: 51°00′28″N12°05′06″E / 51.00778°N 12.08500°E / 51.00778; 12.08500
TypeSettlement
AreaBetween 8,000 m2 (86,000 sq ft) and 10,000 m2 (110,000 sq ft)
History
Periods Upper Paleolithic, Neolithic
Cultures Aurignacian, Linear Pottery culture
Site notes
Excavation dates1925, 1927, 1962, 2004, 2009–present

The archaeological site near the village of Breitenbach in Saxony-Anhalt, Germany is an important open-air settlement that dates to the period of initial colonization of Europe by anatomically modern humans. The occupations date to the early Upper Palaeolithic and more specifically belong to the Aurignacian cultural complex. Breitenbach is currently the biggest open-air settlement site in western Eurasia dating to this time period. Overlying the Palaleolithic deposits are the remains of a younger settlement that has been dated to the Neolithic.

Archaeological site Place in which evidence of past activity is preserved

An archaeological site is a place in which evidence of past activity is preserved, and which has been, or may be, investigated using the discipline of archaeology and represents a part of the archaeological record. Sites may range from those with few or no remains visible above ground, to buildings and other structures still in use.

Breitenbach, Burgenlandkreis Ortsteil of Wetterzeube in Saxony-Anhalt, Germany

Breitenbach is a village and a former municipality in the Burgenlandkreis district, in Saxony-Anhalt, Germany. Since 1 January 2010, it is part of the municipality Wetterzeube. An archaeological site dating to the Upper Palaeolithic was discovered near Breitenbach in 1925.

Saxony-Anhalt State in Germany

Saxony-Anhalt is a state of Germany.

Contents

Palaeolithic settlement

Significance

The open-air site Breitenbach is located at the northern boundary of the Aurignacian oikumene, from which only few sites are currently known. It is also one of the few Aurignacian open-air sites known from Central Europe  – knowledge about modern human spatial behaviour and subsistence practices during the Aurignacian derives primarily from cave sites. The extent of the settlement is currently estimated between 8,000 and 10,000 square meters – this is very unusual for this time period and foreshadows the large open air settlements of the Gravettian known from eastern Europe. [1] As a late representative of the Aurignacian, Breitenbach is of supra-regional interest in understanding the dynamics of the Aurignacian-Gravettian transition. In addition, it also promises insight to spatial organisation and subsistence practices of hunter-gatherer groups during the time of the initial occurrence of the “complete set” of behaviourally modern characteristics.

Central Europe region of Europe

Central Europe is the region comprising the central part of Europe. It is said to occupy continuous territory that are otherwise conventionally Western Europe, Southern Europe, and Eastern Europe. The concept of Central Europe is based on a common historical, social and cultural identity. Central Europe is going through a phase of "strategic awakening", with initiatives such as the CEI, Centrope and the Visegrád Four. While the region's economy shows high disparities with regard to income, all Central European countries are listed by the Human Development Index as very highly developed.

Cave Natural underground space large enough for a human to enter

A cave or cavern is a natural void in the ground, specifically a space large enough for a human to enter. Caves often form by the weathering of rock and often extend deep underground. The word cave can also refer to much smaller openings such as sea caves, rock shelters, and grottos, though strictly speaking a cave is exogene, meaning it is deeper than its opening is wide, and a rock shelter is endogene.

Gravettian archaeological culture

The Gravettian was an archaeological industry of the European Upper Paleolithic that succeeded the Aurignacian circa 33,000 years BP. It is archaeologically the last European culture many consider unified, and had mostly disappeared by c. 22,000 BP, close to the Last Glacial Maximum, although some elements lasted until c. 17,000 BP. At this point, it was replaced abruptly by the Solutrean in France and Spain, and developed into or continued as the Epigravettian in Italy, the Balkans, Ukraine and Russia.

Location

Local signpost near the archaeological site. It reads: Approximately 20,000 years ago in this valley, ancient Breitenbachers killed a mammoth using spear and axe. The leftovers of the meal are now stored in a museum. Note: the information is factually incorrect (see article below). Signpost near Breitenbach archaeological site, August 2012.JPG
Local signpost near the archaeological site. It reads: Approximately 20,000 years ago in this valley, ancient Breitenbachers killed a mammoth using spear and axe. The leftovers of the meal are now stored in a museum. Note: the information is factually incorrect (see article below).

The village Breitenbach is part of Wetterzeube municipality and is located approximately 6 km south of the town of Zeitz. The archaeological site near the old cutting mill (“Schneidemühle”) is situated along the eastern bank of the river Aga, a small tributary of the White Elster river. The site is located on the slopes of a gentle promontory that, coming from a north-westerly direction peters out in a south-easterly direction.

Wetterzeube Place in Saxony-Anhalt, Germany

Wetterzeube is a municipality in the Burgenlandkreis district, in Saxony-Anhalt, Germany.

Municipality An administrative division having corporate status and usually some powers of self-government or jurisdiction

A municipality is usually a single administrative division having corporate status and powers of self-government or jurisdiction as granted by national and regional laws to which it is subordinate. It is to be distinguished (usually) from the county, which may encompass rural territory or numerous small communities such as towns, villages and hamlets.

Zeitz Place in Saxony-Anhalt, Germany

Zeitz is a town in the Burgenlandkreis district, in Saxony-Anhalt, Germany. It is situated on the river White Elster, in the triangle of the federal states Saxony-Anhalt, Thuringia and Saxony.

Discovery and excavations

The site was discovered in the spring of 1925 by the local school teacher E. Thiersch. [2] In the process of extending an existing storage yard adjacent to the mill, large numbers of bones had already been discovered and discarded since the autumn of 1924. [3] First sondages by H. Hess von Wichdorff and A. Götze took place in 1925 and large scale archaeological excavations exposing 400 square meters were conducted by N. Niklasson and F. Wiegers in 1927. [3] Unusual for the time, Niklasson and Wiegers employed a grid system, which allows for a reconstruction of the horizontal find distribution. [1] A smaller geological sondage took place in 1962, [2] followed by a small archaeological campaign in 2004. Since 2009 a collaborative effort headed by the MONREPOS Archaeological Research Center and Museum for Human Behavioral Evolution of the Römisch-Germanisches Zentralmuseum Mainz, the State Office for Heritage Management and Archaeology of Saxony-Anhalt and Leiden University has resumed large scale excavations. [1]

Leiden University university in the Netherlands

Leiden University, founded in the city of Leiden, is the oldest university in the Netherlands. The university was founded in 1575 by William, Prince of Orange, leader of the Dutch Revolt in the Eighty Years' War. The Dutch Royal Family and Leiden University have a close association: Queen Juliana, Queen Beatrix and King Willem-Alexander are former students. The university came into particular prominence during the Dutch Golden Age, when scholars from around Europe were attracted to the Dutch Republic due to its climate of intellectual tolerance and Leiden's international reputation. During this time Leiden was home to such figures as René Descartes, Rembrandt, Christiaan Huygens, Hugo Grotius, Baruch Spinoza and Baron d'Holbach.

Chronometric dates

Several 14C dates (AMS) place the occupations at Breitenbach between 23,990±180 (OxA-11964) and 28,380±170 (OxA-11889) years ago. [4] [5] Using the calpal software, these dates translate into 26,883±401 to 30,824±338 calendar years ago. This renders Breitenbach a very late representative of the Aurignacian tradition, as the Gravettian is well represented in Central and Eastern Europe at this time (see above).

Radiocarbon dating is a method for determining the age of an object containing organic material by using the properties of radiocarbon, a radioactive isotope of carbon.

Accelerator mass spectrometry

Accelerator mass spectrometry (AMS) is a form of mass spectrometry that accelerates ions to extraordinarily high kinetic energies before mass analysis. The special strength of AMS among the mass spectrometric methods is its power to separate a rare isotope from an abundant neighboring mass. The method suppresses molecular isobars completely and in many cases can separate atomic isobars also. This makes possible the detection of naturally occurring, long-lived radio-isotopes such as 10Be, 36Cl, 26Al and 14C. Their typical isotopic abundance ranges from 10−12 to 10−18. AMS can outperform the competing technique of decay counting for all isotopes where the half-life is long enough.

Year orbital period of the Earth around the Sun

A year is the orbital period of the Earth moving in its orbit around the Sun. Due to the Earth's axial tilt, the course of a year sees the passing of the seasons, marked by change in weather, the hours of daylight, and, consequently, vegetation and soil fertility. The current year is 2019.

Site organization and structures

At Breitenbach there is evidence for spatially differentiated activity zones, with foci of specific activities. This is suggested by the presence of large stone manuports, imported and intentionally arranged sandstone slabs, pits and hearths. [1] [3] The sandstone slabs in particular hint at repeated longer-term occupations. Four high-lithic concentrations were tentatively labelled as “lithic workshops”. [3] Burned bone and lithics occur in large numbers. The find horizon is well-pronounced and appears quite distinct from the over/underlying layers. These characteristics suggest a repeated, more permanent settlement behaviour that hitherto was only known from the Gravettian. [1]

Sandstone A clastic sedimentary rock composed mostly of sand-sized particles

Sandstone is a clastic sedimentary rock composed mainly of sand-sized mineral particles or rock fragments.

Finds

Aurignacian artefact production is characterised by an increasing inclusion of bone and antler as raw materials and also the production of non-utilitarian objects. The Breitenbach lithic inventory (n=737) is made exclusively of Baltic flint and shows a high prevalence of keeled, simple and nosed scrapers, as well as various types of burins. In addition to the lithic implements a small number of worked bone tools, as well as non-utilitarian objects in the form of several perforated Arctic fox canines, [1] an incised rib fragment and a piece of worked ivory have also been described. [3]

Faunal remains

Since well-preserved faunal remains from Aurignacian open-air sites are rare, the relatively good preservation of the faunal materials is noteworthy. Together with the open-air site Lommersum, Breitenbach is the only Aurignacian open-air site in northern Central Europe known to have a faunal inventory. The Breitenbach faunal remains have to date only been partially described [6] and are currently undergoing more detailed analysis. The site is primarily known for its mammoth remains, which initially alerted Thiersch to the presence of an archaeological site. Also occurring in numbers at the site are the remains of horse, reindeer and to a lesser extent those of woolly rhino, hyena, wolf, lion, Arctic fox and Arctic hare. [1] [6]

Neolithic settlement

A Neolithic settlement, belonging to the Linear Pottery Culture (c. between 7.500–5.500 years ago) overlying the Palaeolithic layer was first recognized during geological sondages by Hess von Wichdorff in 1927(3). He noted surface finds and the outlines of several living structures. During the course of the investigation, large numbers of pottery shards and several lithic axes were recovered. The Neolithic settlement is currently excavated by the State Office for Heritage Management and Archaeology Saxony-Anhalt.

Literature

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References

  1. 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 Jöris, O and L. Moreau. 2010. Vom Ende des Aurignacien – zur chronologischen Stellung des Freilandfundplatzes Breitenbach (Burgenlandkr.) im Kontext des Frühen und Mittleren Jungpaläolithikums in Mitteleuropa. Archäologisches Korrespondenzblatt 40: 1–20.
  2. 1 2 Porr, M. 2004. Menschen wie wir. Die Aurignacien-Fundstelle von Breitenbach. In: H. Meller (Hrsg.), Paläolithikum und Mesolithikum. Kataloge zur Dauerausstellung im Landesmuseum. Halle.
  3. 1 2 3 4 5 Richter, J. 1987. Jungpaläolithische Funde aus Breitenbach/Kr. Zeitz im Germanischen Nationalmuseum Nürnberg. Quartär 37/38:63-96
  4. ↑ Grünberg, J. 2006. New AMS Dates for Palaeolithic and Mesolithic Camp Sites and Single Finds in Saxony-Anhalt and Thuringia (Germany). Proc. Prehist. Soc. 72, 2006, 95–112
  5. ↑ Street, M & T. Terberger. 2003. New Evidence for the Chronology of the Aurignacian and the Question of Pleniglacial Settlement in Western Central Europe. In: F. d’Errico /J. Zilhao (Hrsg.), The Chronology of the Aurignacian and of the Transitional Technocomplexes. Dating, Stratigraphies, Cultural Implications. Proceedings of Symposium 6.I of the XIVth Congress of the U.I.S.P.P., Liege 2001. Trabalhos Arqu. 33 (Lissabon 2003) 213–221
  6. 1 2 Groiß, J.T. 1987.Fossilfunde aus dem Aurignacien von Breitenbach, Kreis Zeitz, Bez. Halle. Quartär 37/38: 97–100.
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