Journée thématique APERA – AJCN 395. La démarche expérimentale en Sciences Humaines. Cadres, enje... more Journée thématique APERA – AJCN 395. La démarche expérimentale en Sciences Humaines. Cadres, enjeux et perspectives, Nanterre (F), 1.12.2017.
Les prehampes sont un phénomène très commun dans la technologie des projectiles : placés entre la tige principale en bois et la pointe, la hampe fait fonction de pièce intermédiaire équilibrant les forces entre la relative flexibilité de la tige et la dureté de la pointe, rendant le projectile plus efficace et durable. De plus, les prehampes permettent d’égaliser la masse des différents projectiles d’un lot, d’entretenir ou réparer rapidement un projectile, et d’employer une pointe en pierre comme outil de découpe en servant de manche. En raison de ces avantages, les prehampes en matière osseuse, végétal, ou métal sont largement représentées dans le registre ethnographique comme partie intégrante de flèches, harpons, fléchettes ou lances. En ce qui concerne la Paléolithique supérieur européen, les prehampes sont associées au Magdalénien, étant des trouvailles typiques et rares à la fois dans les longs inventaires de projectiles en os. Néanmoins, aucune prehampe n’est connue dans l’entité contemporaine plus au nord, le Hamburgien. Cette étude analyse le propos émis par Marquardt Lund (1993), selon lequel les outils en matière dure animale du type Kerbnadeln - des andouillers de renne montrant un rainurage dans leur extrémité - pourraient en réalité avoir servi de prehampes. Pour tester cette hypothèse, de vraies répliques de Kerbnadeln, réalisées à partir des baguettes de bois du renne furent armés de pointes à crans du Hamburgien et lancées vers une cible organique en employant différents types de fixation et moyens d’accélérations. La mise en commun des informations issues d’expérimentations en industrie osseuse et lithique, la typologie, la tracéologie (à l’échelle macroscopique) et l’analyse des propriétés spécifiques au goudron d’écorche de bouleau devrait nous aider à répondre à notre question. Les résultats préliminaires sont présentés dans cette séance.
English abstract: Foreshafts are a very common phenomenon in projectile technology: Placed between the wooden main shaft and the point itself, the foreshaft acts as an intermediate piece that balances the forces between the relatively soft main shaft and the hard point making the projectile both more effective and durable. Additionally, foreshafts render it possible to equalize the mass of different projectiles in a set, to quickly maintain or repair a projectile, and to employ a lithic point as cutting implement by serving as a handle. Because of these benefits, foreshafts of osseous materials, wood, or metal are widely distributed in the ethnological record as integral parts of arrows, harpoons, darts, or lances. Regarding the European Upper Paleolithic, foreshafts are connected to the Magdalenian, typically being rare but common finds in big inventories of osseous projectiles. Yet, from the contemporaneous northern entity, the Hamburgian, there are no foreshafts known so far. This study deals with Marquardt Lund’s (1993) suggestion that the osseous tool type Kerbnadel, terminally grooved reindeer antler rods, could actually have served as foreshaft. To test that hypothesis, true replica of Kerbnadeln made of reindeer antler were equipped with Hamburgian lithic shouldered points and hurled on an organic target employing different mounting techniques and acceleration media. Combining data from the experiments with osseous and lithic technology, typology, macroscopic use-wear and material properties analysis of the birch bark tar shall help to elucidate the raised question. The preliminary results are presented here.
Date the deer - The site Hohen Viecheln in its chronological and cultural context
Daniel Groß, Markus Wild, Harald Lübke, John Meadows: Date the deer - The site Hohen Viecheln in ... more Daniel Groß, Markus Wild, Harald Lübke, John Meadows: Date the deer - The site Hohen Viecheln in its chronological and cultural context, 59th annual meeting of the Hugo Obermaier-Society, 18th-22nd April 2017.
Hohen Viecheln 1 (Mecklenburg-Vorpommern, Germany) is one of the most striking sites of the Early Mesolithic in the Northern European Lowlands. The abundance of finds and good organic preservation characterise the site, which is located north of Lake Schwerin in eastern Germany. Among German scholars, Hohen Viecheln is ranked alongside Bedburg-Königshoven, Friesack, Duvensee, Mullerup, and Star Carr. The site itself was excavated in the 1950s and already shortly after its monograph doubts on the excavator’s interpretation rose. Of special interest in this respect was the stratigraphic sequence which was not entirely understood during the excavations. The location of the site on a former lake shore incorporated further complications when the stratigraphic sequence was interpreted. In this presentation we will discuss results of modern re-evalutations and research projects which addressed a renewed understanding of the stratigraphy as well as typo-chronological considerations. With respect to the more than 300 bone points and a large number of other representative artefacts (e.g. antler headdresses and decorated artefacts) the character of the site will be discussed such as its techno-cultural association.
59th annual meeting of the Hugo Obermaier-Society, 18th-22nd April 2017, Aurich/Germany:
The Ham... more 59th annual meeting of the Hugo Obermaier-Society, 18th-22nd April 2017, Aurich/Germany:
The Hamburgian as a cultural stage was defined by Gustav Schwantes in the 1930s. Few years later the famous classical Hamburgian sites Meiendorf and Stellmoor in the Ahrensburg tunnel valley (North Germany) were excavated. These sites brought a rich assemblage of a Hamburgian bone and antler industry. Alfred Rust analyzed its typology and technology in his monographs on the sites in an exemplary manner for this period. Only a few bone and antler artefacts have been excavated at Poggenwisch (North Germany) and Slotseng (South Denmark) since and only a small number of single finds were discovered that could be attributed to the classical and Havelte phase of the Hamburgian. Recently, an exploding number of methodological papers on osseous technology were published. These helped to standardize terminology, description and the addressing of artefacts. Furthermore, they introduced new approaches to technology (e.g. socio-economy/functionality). Thus far, these new ideas hardly considered the earliest sites of the anatomic modern human in northern Central Europe. An ongoing PhD thesis aims to contribute to the topic in analyzing the Hamburgian using a modern technological approach on the bone and antler industries. This paper presents first results of this thesis, notably, the technological analysis of the assemblages from Meiendorf and Slotseng. The savoir faire of the classical Hamburgian will be particularly highlighted and discussed in contrast to the Havelte group and the Final Magdalenian. Socio-economic analysis of the procurement and processing of raw materials will add to the knowledge about the function of the different sites. Hence, they will contribute to our understanding of the Hamburgian and its position in the cultural puzzle of the Early Lateglacial.
M. Wild, Socio-Environmental Dynamics over the Last 12,000 Years: The Creation of Landscapes V, S... more M. Wild, Socio-Environmental Dynamics over the Last 12,000 Years: The Creation of Landscapes V, Session 4: Lost in the Lowlands. Complementing the Early Lateglacial puzzle. 23rd March 2017.
Absence makes the heart grow fonder or far from eye far from heart? – Dichotomous tendencies in Hamburgian osseous industries
Osseous artefacts dating to the Early Lateglacial (GI-1e&GI-1d) are rare in northern Central Europe and southern Scandinavia. However, the few excavated sites with organic preservation on the Cimbrian Peninsula give the opportunity for a comparative study of worked osseous objects on intersite and interregional level. Here, I report the differences between the toolkit of these hunter-gatherers and that of their Magdalenian equivalents and highlight the similarities in their technological behaviour. The aim of this paper is the development of an explanation why these two pieces of the overall Early Lateglacial puzzle – osseous typology and technology – do not seem to match accurately. This hypothesis shall lead to an interpretation of the Hamburgian within the cultural context of the Early Lateglacial from a solely osseous techno-typological perspective. In the course of the other contributions within the session this picture will be relativised.
Foreshafts are a very common phenomenon in projectile technology: Placed between the wooden main ... more Foreshafts are a very common phenomenon in projectile technology: Placed between the wooden main shaft and the point itself, the foreshaft acts as an intermediate piece that balances the forces between the relatively soft main shaft and the hard point making the projectile both more effective and durable. Additionally, foreshafts render it possible to equalize the mass of different projectiles in a set, to quickly maintain or repair a projectile, and to employ a lithic point as cutting implement by serving as a handle. Because of these benefits, foreshafts of osseous materials, wood, or metal are widely distributed in the ethnological record as integral parts of arrows, harpoons, darts, or lances. Regarding the European Upper Paleolithic, foreshafts are connected to the Magdalenian, typically being rare but common finds in big inventories of osseous projectiles. Yet, from the contemporaneous northern en-tity, the Hamburgian, there are no foreshafts known so far. This study deals with Marquardt Lund’s (1993) suggestion that the osseous tool type Kerbnadel, terminally notched reindeer antler rods, could actually have served as foreshaft. To test that hypothesis, true replica of Kerbnadeln made of reindeer antler were equipped with Hamburgian lithic shouldered points and hurled on an organic target employing different mounting techniques and acceleration media. Combining data from the experiments with osseous and lithic technology, typology and macroscopic use-wear analysis shall help to elucidate the raised question. The preliminary results are presented here.
Presenting first results of the analysis of faunal remains discovered during excavations and 68 c... more Presenting first results of the analysis of faunal remains discovered during excavations and 68 corings near Lake Itzstedt in 2003 and 2004. Furthermore the huge potential for this area will be underlined.
Paper presented at the 1st PalDoT (PalaeolithDoktorandenTreffen), 27th-28th October 2016, Erlange... more Paper presented at the 1st PalDoT (PalaeolithDoktorandenTreffen), 27th-28th October 2016, Erlangen.
Gustav Schwantes determined the Hamburgian as a cultural stage in the 1930s. Likewise, its typological connection to the Magdalenian was immediately recognized. Eight decades later the question of the exact relationship between the Hamburgian, its sister entity the Creswellian and the Magdalenian still remains open. Different explanations have been taken into consideration: The Hamburgian as seasonal facies of the Magdalenian or as a development from it combined with an adaptation to a new environment. Furthermore, other questions had been raised. For example the upcoming of a Hamburgian-like lithics facies in the Paris Basin had been discussed as possible immigration of Hamburgian groups or as a simple adaptation of Magdalenian people to changing environments. In the end, research so far has focused on typology, style, environment and particularly on lithic industries. Other methods were not applied nearly as exhaustively, resulting in a lack of a general overview. This thesis aims to add to the focal question of the precise relationship of the three cultural entities we see at the beginning of the Lateglacial in Northwestern Europe: the Magdalenian, the Creswellian and the Hamburgian in analyzing their osseous technology.
This paper discusses the changes in the use of osseous materials for different implements during ... more This paper discusses the changes in the use of osseous materials for different implements during the first settlements of northern Central Europe in reliance on its mechanical properties as well as its shape and other materials’ availability. Focusing on the Pleistocene/Holocene transition, the use of the changing antler sources and its technological implications will be highlighted. Pfeifer, S./Wild, M.
La session 3 du XXVIIIe congrès préhistorique de France
L’Europe du Nord-Ouest autour de 10 000 BP (9 600 cal.BC) : quels changements ? (Amiens - vendredi 3 et samedi 4 juin 2016)
Session organisée par Jean-Pierre Fagnart, Ludovic Mevel, Boris Valentin et Mara-Julia Weber en collaboration avec la commission UISPP « The Final Palaeolithic of Northern Eurasia »
Wild, M., ‘Let’s bring them together: wannabe and real antler headdresses from Hohen Viecheln‘. P... more Wild, M., ‘Let’s bring them together: wannabe and real antler headdresses from Hohen Viecheln‘. Paper presented at the International Workshop ‘Working at the sharp end at Hohen Viecheln – from bone and antler to Early Mesolithic life in Northern Europe‘, Schleswig, Germany, 14th–16th March 2016.
Bone and antler are two of the most versatile osseous raw materials and therefore were extensively used by (pre)historic cultures wherever they were abundant. With the appearance of red deer (Cervus elaphus) in Northern Europe at the beginning of the Mesolithic one can see the emergence of a mysterious tool type all over the lowlands of northern Central Europe: so-called antler headdresses. Only a handful of Mesolithic sites brought these rare artefacts to light. One of them is Hohen Viecheln, excavated in the 1950s (Schuldt 1961). The excavator – Ewald Schuldt – mentions the existence of the famous headdress from Hohen Viecheln [Hohen Viecheln-ID 5863] as well as an unfinished one [Hohen Viecheln-ID 3412] (Schuldt 1954, 28). In his dissertation Stefan Pratsch refers to these two but, furthermore, mentions two more artefacts [Hohen Viecheln-ID 5774 & 6162] in his group of skull trophies (Pratsch 2006, 71). Finally, the author of this paper was able to go through the supposedly unworked faunal remains from the site during a stay at MONREPOS . During the study of bone and antler pieces a fifth possible antler headdress [Hohen Viecheln-ID 387] was discovered. On the one hand, this paper will bring together all the artefacts ever mentioned in the context of antler headdresses at Hohen Viecheln. The results of the re-examination of the artefacts will be presented. An approach that combines technological, morphological and zooarchaeological information was used. The obtained data will be supplemented by comparison and contextualisation with headdresses from the sites of Star Carr (Clark 1954), Berlin-Biesdorf (Reinbacher 1956) and Bedburg-Königshoven (Street u. Wild 2015). Subsequently, the artefacts from Hohen Viecheln will be classified and sorted on the basis of the definition presented in Wild 2014. On the other hand, the precise time period of the antler headdress-phenomenon remains a desideratum as the discussed artefacts can only be dated typologically or environmentally to the Mesolithic. This results in the fact that the antler headdresses are sometimes related to the parietal art of the Upper Palaeolithic or to the recent shamanism of Siberia. A narrow period for their existence could question these vague analogies. Hence, a limited dating program was established whose results will be presented here. Combining these two lines of arguments, the chrono-typological results of the analysis of antler headdresses will help to strengthen the link between Hohen Viecheln and the broader Mesolithic of northern Central Europe.
Clark 1954: J. G. D. Clark, Excavations at Star Carr : an early mesolithic site at Seamer near Scarborough, Yorkshire. (Cambridge 1954).
Pratsch 2006: S. Pratsch, Mesolithische Geweihgeräte im Jungmoränengebiet zwischen Elbe und Neman. Ein Beitrag zur Ökologie und Ökonomie mesolithischer Wildbeuter. Studien zur Archäologie Europas 2 (Bonn 2006).
Reinbacher 1956: E. Reinbacher, Eine vorgeschichtliche Hirschmaske aus Berlin-Biesdorf. Ausgrabungen und Funde 1, 1956, 147-51.
Schuldt 1954: E. Schuldt, Ein mittelsteinzeitlicher Siedlungsplatz bei Hohen Viecheln, Kreis Wismar. Bodendenkmalpflege in Mecklenburg, Jahrbuch 9, 1954, 1955, 7-35.
Schuldt 1961: E. Schuldt, Hohen Viecheln: ein mittelsteinzeitlicher Wohnplatz in Mecklenburg. 1961).
Street u. Wild 2015: M. Street u. M. Wild, Technological aspects of two Mesolithic red deer ‚antler frontlets‘ from the German Rhineland. In: N. Ashton u. C. Harris (Hrsg.), No Stone Unturned. Papers in Honour of Roger Jacobi. (London 2015).
Wild 2014: M. Wild, Funktionelle Analyse an zwei perforierten Hirschschädeln vom frühmesolithischen Fundplatz Bedburg-Königshoven Univ. Johannes Gutenberg-University of Mainz 2014).
Wild, M.: 'Testing the amount of the supernatural in Mesolithic antler headdresses'. Paper presen... more Wild, M.: 'Testing the amount of the supernatural in Mesolithic antler headdresses'. Paper presented at the 9th International Congress on the Mesolithic in Europe, Belgrade, Serbia, 14th-18th September 2015.
Supposed Mesolithic antler head-dresses from Star Carr have been interpreted as either shamanic garb and/or hunting disguises. This has had an overall lasting impact on our interpretation of Mesolithic and hunter-gatherer societies. The hypothesis that these objects were worn as a mask or head-dress has not yet been proven. However the recovery of comparable objects from sediments of roughly contemporaneous or slightly earlier age across the Northern European Plain keeps this model alive. Apart from the fact that these comparable artefacts are not yet well defined and their precise use and function still remains unclear and requires more detailed investigation, the apparent significance of the presence of these antler frontlets in Early Mesolithic bog sites across Central and Northern Europe is generally still not well understood. Presented here will be the results of a morphometrical and technological re-examination of 16 modified cervid skulls with attached antlers from 8 sites which have been discussed in the context of the Star Carr antler frontlets. Furthermore, these results will be used to evaluate if former hypotheses about the ritual and symbolic character of Mesolithic antler frontlets sensu Star Carr can still be maintained.
Wild, M.: 'Knochenindustrien des ausgehenden Pleistozäns der nordeuropäischen Tiefebene - Vorstel... more Wild, M.: 'Knochenindustrien des ausgehenden Pleistozäns der nordeuropäischen Tiefebene - Vorstellung des Dissertationsprojektes'. Paper presented at the 24th Annual Meeting of the Working Group Mesolithic, Rotenburg (Wümme), Germany, 19th-22nd October 2015.
Wild, M.: 'Some results from an experiment: the re-analysis of Mesolithic antler frontlets'. Pape... more Wild, M.: 'Some results from an experiment: the re-analysis of Mesolithic antler frontlets'. Paper presented at the 12th Annual Conference of the European association for the advancement of archaeology by experiment (EXAR), Mayen, Germany, 2nd-5th October 2014.
Supposed Mesolithic antler head-dresses from Star Carr have been interpreted as either shamanic garb and/or hunting disguise. This has had a lasting impact on our interpretation of Mesolithic and hunter-gatherer societies overall. The hypothesis that these objects were worn as a mask or head-dress has not yet been proven. However the recovery of comparable objects from sediments of roughly contemporaneous or slightly earlier age across the Northern European Plain keeps this model alive. Apart from the fact that these comparable artefacts are not yet well defined and their precise use and function still remains unclear and requires more detailed investigation, the apparent significance of the presence or absence of antler frontlets in extensively excavated Early Mesolithic bog sites across Central and Northern Europe is generally still not well understood.
16 out of a total of 37 modified cervid skulls with attached antlers from 8 sites which have been discussed in the context of the Star Carr antler frontlets have recently been re-examined morphometrically and technologically by the author. Additionally a red deer was experimentally prepared to an antler frontlet to help understand the processes involved in the manufacturing and use of this kind of objects. The following parameters were recorded for all of the specimens: animal species, minimum age, weight and preservation, abiotic and biotic modifications that include breakage patterns, perforations, cut marks and notches.
The combined analysis of these parameters allows for the division of the group of modified deer skulls into four distinct groups of which one is discussed here: Besides the artefacts from Star Carr already mentioned, only one intensively modified red deer skull each from Hohen Viecheln and from Berlin-Biesdorf and two laterally perforated deer skulls from Bedburg-Königshoven – are classed as belonging to the newly created group of Hirschgeweihkappen [deer antler caps].
Hirschgeweihkappen are a rare spatial and temporal occurrence, within the Northern Technocomplexe of osseous material working [/artefacts] during the Middle to Late Preboreal. Their occurence is biased towards larger Early Mesolithic sites in the vicinity of lacustrine environments although they are absent from comparable sites like Friesack where the osseous material otherwise shows technological parallels to that of sites with Hirschgeweihkappen. This phenomenon should be linked to the still poorly understood function of this latter type of artefact. To understand these function new experiments are underway.
Street 1989, Street, M., 1989. Jäger und Schamanen: Bedburg-Königshoven, ein Wohnplatz am Niederrhein vor 10000 Jahren. Röm.-German. Zentralmuseum, Mainz.
Wild 2014, Wild, M., 2014. Funktionelle Analyse an zwei perforierten Hirschschädeln vom frühmesolithischen Fundplatz Bedburg-Königshoven. Masterarbeit, Universität Mainz.
The Early Mesolithic lake site of Bedburg-Königshoven was discovered in 1987 within Erft valley d... more The Early Mesolithic lake site of Bedburg-Königshoven was discovered in 1987 within Erft valley during lignite mining. Excavations exposed calcareous gyttja sediments of Early Holocene age that contained archaeological material. The common interpretation of the site is that of an off-bank discard zone showing a palimpsest, created by repeated visits of hunter-gatherers undertaking secondary butchery activities at the site (Street 1989; Street and Wild in press).
The faunal remains – dominated by Bos primigenius – indicate the systematic exploitation of typical large ungulates of the Central European Early Mesolithic. Some bird and fish remains represent background fauna and they cannot be linked directly to the human presence at the site.
The small lithic assemblage consists of a handful of cores, some scrapers, microliths, unretouched flakes and blades and a heavy pic. The assemblage suggests the deliberate discard of butchery tools used in animal butchery (Street 1998; Street and Wild in press).
During the re-analysis of Hirschgeweihkappen [deer antler caps] from Early Mesolithic sites the spatial character and function of Bedburg-Königshoven compared to other Early Mesolithic sites with antler frontlets (Friesack 4, Hohen Viecheln (Germany), Star Carr (UK)) was re-assessed. This was combined with experimental procedures that attempted to understand the production and function of a Hirschgeweihkappe.
Some features of the assemblage do not fit with the interpretation of Bedburg-Königshoven solely as a secondary butchering site. The close association of the only two bone tools from the site (a chisel and a point) suggests a more complex site function, as do the two perforated deer skulls. Indeed, the Hirschgeweihkappen seem to be half-finished and deliberately stored underwater, perhaps either to protect them from carnivore gnawing or as part of the manufacturing process. Together, these two lines of evidence suggest a more complex and longer-term use of the site that fits with the finds of other Hirschgeweihkappen underwater at sites like Star Carr.
Lyman (1992, 247–248) points to the fact that secondary butchering sites are often situated in the direct vicinity of camp sites. This might be supported by the fact that there is barely any evidence of further processing of meat at Bedburg-Königshoven, although the bones are completely defleshed. The off-bank discard zone may therefore reflect a highly specialised part of a camp, which could be compared with large Preboreal sites like Star Carr.
References:
Lyman, R., 1992. Prehistoric Seal and Sea-Lion Butchering on the Southern Northwest Coast. American Antiquity 57, 246–261.
Street, M., 1989. Jäger und Schamanen: Bedburg-Königshoven, ein Wohnplatz am Niederrhein vor 10000 Jahren. Röm.-German. Zentralmuseum, Mainz..
-, 1998. A Preboreal Lithic Assemblage from the Lower Rhineland Site of Bedburg-Königshoven, In: Ashton, N., Healy F., Pettitt, P. (Eds.), Stone Age Archaeology. Essays in Honour of John Wymer. Oxbow Monographs 102, Oxford, 165–173.
Street, M., Wild, M., in press. Technological aspects of two Mesolithic red deer 'antler frontlets' from the German Rhineland, In: Ashton, N., Fisher, C. (Eds.), No Stone Unturned. Papers in Honour of Roger Jacobi.
Markus Wild
Clarks Erben – zur Neubewertung bearbeiteter Hirschschädel des Mesolithikums
Die ... more Markus Wild
Clarks Erben – zur Neubewertung bearbeiteter Hirschschädel des Mesolithikums
Die ins Präboreal datierende Fundstelle Bedburg-Königshoven konnte in den späten 1980ern durch Mitarbeiter des RGZM unter Leitung von Dr. Martin Street ausgegraben werden. Es handelt sich um die im Wasser gelegene „Abfallzone“ eines Lagers an der Erft. Bei der Ausgrabung wurden seitlich durchlochte Hirschschädel gefunden, die als Masken interpretiert werden (Street 1989).
Die Gattung der als Hirschgeweihmasken sensu lato bezeichneten, modifizierten Schädel von Elch, Reh, Rentier und Hirsch ist seit den späten 1940ern bekannt. Grahame Clark entdeckte bei der Ausgrabung der frühmesolithischen Fundstelle Star Carr 21 bearbeitete Rothirschschädel, denen gemein ist, dass sie aus dem Schädel herausgetrennt wurden, so dass hauptsächlich das Stirnbein mit Geweih und Teile des Os parietale-temporale-occipitale-Komplexes stehen blieben. In diesem rückwärtigen Bereich weisen sie zwei, seltener drei artifizielle Durchlochungen auf, die einen Durchmesser von ein bis zweieinhalb Zentimetern haben. Das Geweih ist gekürzt und ausgedünnt. In den Folgejahren wurden dieser Fundgattung viele, vornehmlich frühmesolithische, Artefakte hinzugefügt. Dazu zählen, in chronologischer Reihenfolge ihrer Entdeckung, die Hirschmaske von Plau (BB), die Maske aus einem Rothirschschädel und eine Vorarbeit von Hohen Viecheln (MV), die spätjungpaläolithische Tanzmaske aus einem Renschädel von der Poggenwisch im Ahrensburger Tunneltal (SH), die Hirschmaske von Berlin-Biesdorf (BE), die bereits erwähnten Hirschgeweihmasken von Bedburg-Königshoven (NW), die Schädeltrophäen von Friesack 4 (BB) sowie das Rehgehörn aus dem Grab der Schamanin von Bad Dürrenberg (SA) (Street und Wild in Druck).
Parallel zur uneinheitlichen Nomenklatur der Fundstücke zeigt sich eine heterogene Gattung von Artefakten, deren Größe und Gewicht von weniger als 100 g bis fast 3000 g variiert und deren Modifikationen keinem einheitlichen Muster zu folgen scheinen. Für die Artefakte von Star Carr noch typisch, tragen nur wenige der Objekte artifizielle Perforationen, nicht alle haben gekürzte und ausgedünnte Geweihe etc. In der Folge dieser Uneinheitlichkeit und eines fehlenden Verständnisses der denotativen Funktion werden die Fundstücke bis heute als Jagdhilfe und/oder Schamanentracht, seltener als Trophäe verstanden.
Zwölf Artefakte werden mit dem Ziel einer umfassenden Synthese untersucht. Neben den Originalen aus Berlin-Biesdorf, Friesack, Hohen Viecheln, Plau und Bedburg-Königshoven, steht zudem ein Abguss von antler frontlet 2 aus Star Carr zur detaillierten archäozoologischen Untersuchung und morphometrischen Vermessung zur Verfügung. Zusammen helfen diese, die Gattung der Hirschgeweihmasken sensu lato erstmalig einzugrenzen und liefern somit eine Grundlage für folgende Untersuchungen dieser, für das Mesolithikum aus heutiger Perspektive identitätsstiftenden, Quellengattung. Des Weiteren werden vorläufige Ergebnisse vorgestellt, die die funktionelle Analyse der beiden auf der Sutura squamosa durchlochten Hirschschädel aus Bedburg-Königshoven erbringen (Wild in Vorbereitung). Bei der funktionellen Analyse wird die Umgebung der Perforationen unter Zuhilfenahme von hochauflösenden Bildern in verschiedenen Vergrößerungen und DSMs auf Oberflächen- und Körperveränderungen untersucht. Die Ergebnisse werden mit Perforationen von Rothirschschädeln verglichen, die in einem Experiment kontrollierten Bewegungen ausgesetzt werden und die durch unterschiedliche Bänder und Seile, die durch die artifiziellen Löcher gespannt sind, stabilisiert werden.
Wild, M.: 'Hirschgeweihkappen von Bedburg-Königshoven: Ergebnisse und Probleme der Funktionellen ... more Wild, M.: 'Hirschgeweihkappen von Bedburg-Königshoven: Ergebnisse und Probleme der Funktionellen Analyse/Hirschgeweihkappen: Ergebnisse einer Neuaufnahme'. Paper presented at the Annual Conference of the “AG Mesolithikum”, Landshut, 21th–23th March 2014.
Wild, M. & Street, M.: “Die Hirschgeweihmasken von Bedburg-Königshoven“. Paper presented at the A... more Wild, M. & Street, M.: “Die Hirschgeweihmasken von Bedburg-Königshoven“. Paper presented at the Annual Conference of the “AG Mesolithikum”, Brandenburg/Havel, 8th – 9th March 2013.
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Talks by Markus Wild
Les prehampes sont un phénomène très commun dans la technologie des projectiles : placés entre la tige principale en bois et la pointe, la hampe fait fonction de pièce intermédiaire équilibrant les forces entre la relative flexibilité de la tige et la dureté de la pointe, rendant le projectile plus efficace et durable. De plus, les prehampes permettent d’égaliser la masse des différents projectiles d’un lot, d’entretenir ou réparer rapidement un projectile, et d’employer une pointe en pierre comme outil de découpe en servant de manche.
En raison de ces avantages, les prehampes en matière osseuse, végétal, ou métal sont largement représentées dans le registre ethnographique comme partie intégrante de flèches, harpons, fléchettes ou lances. En ce qui concerne la Paléolithique supérieur européen, les prehampes sont associées au Magdalénien, étant des trouvailles typiques et rares à la fois dans les longs inventaires de projectiles en os. Néanmoins, aucune prehampe n’est connue dans l’entité contemporaine plus au nord, le Hamburgien. Cette étude analyse le propos émis par Marquardt Lund (1993), selon lequel les outils en matière dure animale du type Kerbnadeln - des andouillers de renne montrant un rainurage dans leur extrémité - pourraient en réalité avoir servi de prehampes. Pour tester cette hypothèse, de vraies répliques de Kerbnadeln, réalisées à partir des baguettes de bois du renne furent armés de pointes à crans du Hamburgien et lancées vers une cible organique en employant différents types de fixation et moyens d’accélérations.
La mise en commun des informations issues d’expérimentations en industrie osseuse et lithique, la typologie, la tracéologie (à l’échelle macroscopique) et l’analyse des propriétés spécifiques au goudron d’écorche de bouleau devrait nous aider à répondre à notre question. Les résultats préliminaires sont présentés dans cette séance.
English abstract: Foreshafts are a very common phenomenon in projectile technology: Placed between the wooden main shaft and the point itself, the foreshaft acts as an intermediate piece that balances the forces between the relatively soft main shaft and the hard point making the projectile both more effective and durable. Additionally, foreshafts render it possible to equalize the mass of different projectiles in a set, to quickly maintain or repair a projectile, and to employ a lithic point as cutting implement by serving as a handle.
Because of these benefits, foreshafts of osseous materials, wood, or metal are widely distributed in the ethnological record as integral parts of arrows, harpoons, darts, or lances. Regarding the European Upper Paleolithic, foreshafts are connected to the Magdalenian, typically being rare but common finds in big inventories of osseous projectiles. Yet, from the contemporaneous northern entity, the Hamburgian, there are no foreshafts known so far. This study deals with Marquardt Lund’s (1993) suggestion that the osseous tool type Kerbnadel, terminally grooved reindeer antler rods, could actually have served as foreshaft. To test that hypothesis, true replica of Kerbnadeln made of reindeer antler were equipped with Hamburgian lithic shouldered points and hurled on an organic target employing different mounting techniques and acceleration media.
Combining data from the experiments with osseous and lithic technology, typology, macroscopic use-wear and material properties analysis of the birch bark tar shall help to elucidate the raised question. The preliminary results are presented here.
Hohen Viecheln 1 (Mecklenburg-Vorpommern, Germany) is one of the most striking sites of the Early Mesolithic in the Northern European Lowlands. The abundance of finds and good organic preservation characterise the site, which is located north of Lake Schwerin in eastern Germany. Among German scholars, Hohen Viecheln is ranked alongside Bedburg-Königshoven, Friesack, Duvensee, Mullerup, and Star Carr. The site itself was excavated in the 1950s and already shortly after its monograph doubts on the excavator’s interpretation rose. Of special interest in this respect was the stratigraphic sequence which was not entirely understood during the excavations. The location of the site on a former lake shore incorporated further complications when the stratigraphic sequence was interpreted.
In this presentation we will discuss results of modern re-evalutations and research projects which addressed a renewed understanding of the stratigraphy as well as typo-chronological considerations. With respect to the more than 300 bone points and a large number of other representative artefacts (e.g. antler headdresses and decorated artefacts) the character of the site will be discussed such as its techno-cultural association.
The Hamburgian as a cultural stage was defined by Gustav Schwantes in the 1930s. Few years later the famous classical Hamburgian sites Meiendorf and Stellmoor in the Ahrensburg tunnel valley (North Germany) were excavated. These sites brought a rich assemblage of a Hamburgian bone and antler industry. Alfred Rust analyzed its typology and technology in his monographs on the sites in an exemplary manner for this period.
Only a few bone and antler artefacts have been excavated at Poggenwisch (North Germany) and Slotseng (South Denmark) since and only a small number of single finds were discovered that could be attributed to the classical and Havelte phase of the Hamburgian.
Recently, an exploding number of methodological papers on osseous technology were published. These helped to standardize terminology, description and the addressing of artefacts. Furthermore, they introduced new approaches to technology (e.g. socio-economy/functionality). Thus far, these new ideas hardly considered the earliest sites of the anatomic modern human in northern Central Europe.
An ongoing PhD thesis aims to contribute to the topic in analyzing the Hamburgian using a modern technological approach on the bone and antler industries. This paper presents first results of this thesis, notably, the technological analysis of the assemblages from Meiendorf and Slotseng. The savoir faire of the classical Hamburgian will be particularly highlighted and discussed in contrast to the Havelte group and the Final Magdalenian. Socio-economic analysis of the procurement and processing of raw materials will add to the knowledge about the function of the different sites. Hence, they will contribute to our understanding of the Hamburgian and its position in the cultural puzzle of the Early Lateglacial.
Absence makes the heart grow fonder or far from eye far from heart?
– Dichotomous tendencies in Hamburgian osseous industries
Osseous artefacts dating to the Early Lateglacial (GI-1e&GI-1d) are rare in northern Central Europe and southern Scandinavia. However, the few excavated sites with organic preservation on the Cimbrian Peninsula give the opportunity for a comparative study of worked osseous objects on intersite and interregional level. Here, I report the differences between the toolkit of these hunter-gatherers and that of their Magdalenian equivalents and highlight the similarities in their technological behaviour. The aim of this paper is the development of an explanation why these two pieces of the overall Early Lateglacial puzzle – osseous typology and technology – do not seem to match accurately. This hypothesis shall lead to an interpretation of the Hamburgian within the cultural context of the Early Lateglacial from a solely osseous techno-typological perspective. In the course of the other contributions within the session this picture will be relativised.
Gustav Schwantes determined the Hamburgian as a cultural stage in the 1930s. Likewise, its typological connection to the Magdalenian was immediately recognized. Eight decades later the question of the exact relationship between the Hamburgian, its sister entity the Creswellian and the Magdalenian still remains open.
Different explanations have been taken into consideration: The Hamburgian as seasonal facies of the Magdalenian or as a development from it combined with an adaptation to a new environment. Furthermore, other questions had been raised. For example the upcoming of a Hamburgian-like lithics facies in the Paris Basin had been discussed as possible immigration of Hamburgian groups or as a simple adaptation of Magdalenian people to changing environments. In the end, research so far has focused on typology, style, environment and particularly on lithic industries. Other methods were not applied nearly as exhaustively, resulting in a lack of a general overview.
This thesis aims to add to the focal question of the precise relationship of the three cultural entities we see at the beginning of the Lateglacial in Northwestern Europe: the Magdalenian, the Creswellian and the Hamburgian in analyzing their osseous technology.
La session 3 du XXVIIIe congrès préhistorique de France
L’Europe du Nord-Ouest autour de 10 000 BP (9 600 cal.BC) : quels changements ? (Amiens - vendredi 3 et samedi 4 juin 2016)
Session organisée par Jean-Pierre Fagnart, Ludovic Mevel, Boris Valentin et Mara-Julia Weber en collaboration avec la commission UISPP « The Final Palaeolithic of Northern Eurasia »
Bone and antler are two of the most versatile osseous raw materials and therefore were extensively used by (pre)historic cultures wherever they were abundant. With the appearance of red deer (Cervus elaphus) in Northern Europe at the beginning of the Mesolithic one can see the emergence of a mysterious tool type all over the lowlands of northern Central Europe: so-called antler headdresses. Only a handful of Mesolithic sites brought these rare artefacts to light. One of them is Hohen Viecheln, excavated in the 1950s (Schuldt 1961). The excavator – Ewald Schuldt – mentions the existence of the famous headdress from Hohen Viecheln [Hohen Viecheln-ID 5863] as well as an unfinished one [Hohen Viecheln-ID 3412] (Schuldt 1954, 28). In his dissertation Stefan Pratsch refers to these two but, furthermore, mentions two more artefacts [Hohen Viecheln-ID 5774 & 6162] in his group of skull trophies (Pratsch 2006, 71). Finally, the author of this paper was able to go through the supposedly unworked faunal remains from the site during a stay at MONREPOS . During the study of bone and antler pieces a fifth possible antler headdress [Hohen Viecheln-ID 387] was discovered.
On the one hand, this paper will bring together all the artefacts ever mentioned in the context of antler headdresses at Hohen Viecheln. The results of the re-examination of the artefacts will be presented. An approach that combines technological, morphological and zooarchaeological information was used. The obtained data will be supplemented by comparison and contextualisation with headdresses from the sites of Star Carr (Clark 1954), Berlin-Biesdorf (Reinbacher 1956) and Bedburg-Königshoven (Street u. Wild 2015). Subsequently, the artefacts from Hohen Viecheln will be classified and sorted on the basis of the definition presented in Wild 2014.
On the other hand, the precise time period of the antler headdress-phenomenon remains a desideratum as the discussed artefacts can only be dated typologically or environmentally to the Mesolithic. This results in the fact that the antler headdresses are sometimes related to the parietal art of the Upper Palaeolithic or to the recent shamanism of Siberia. A narrow period for their existence could question these vague analogies. Hence, a limited dating program was established whose results will be presented here.
Combining these two lines of arguments, the chrono-typological results of the analysis of antler headdresses will help to strengthen the link between Hohen Viecheln and the broader Mesolithic of northern Central Europe.
Clark 1954: J. G. D. Clark, Excavations at Star Carr : an early mesolithic site at Seamer near Scarborough, Yorkshire. (Cambridge 1954).
Pratsch 2006: S. Pratsch, Mesolithische Geweihgeräte im Jungmoränengebiet zwischen Elbe und Neman. Ein Beitrag zur Ökologie und Ökonomie mesolithischer Wildbeuter. Studien zur Archäologie Europas 2 (Bonn 2006).
Reinbacher 1956: E. Reinbacher, Eine vorgeschichtliche Hirschmaske aus Berlin-Biesdorf. Ausgrabungen und Funde 1, 1956, 147-51.
Schuldt 1954: E. Schuldt, Ein mittelsteinzeitlicher Siedlungsplatz bei Hohen Viecheln, Kreis Wismar. Bodendenkmalpflege in Mecklenburg, Jahrbuch 9, 1954, 1955, 7-35.
Schuldt 1961: E. Schuldt, Hohen Viecheln: ein mittelsteinzeitlicher Wohnplatz in Mecklenburg. 1961).
Street u. Wild 2015: M. Street u. M. Wild, Technological aspects of two Mesolithic red deer ‚antler frontlets‘ from the German Rhineland. In: N. Ashton u. C. Harris (Hrsg.), No Stone Unturned. Papers in Honour of Roger Jacobi. (London 2015).
Wild 2014: M. Wild, Funktionelle Analyse an zwei perforierten Hirschschädeln vom frühmesolithischen Fundplatz Bedburg-Königshoven Univ. Johannes Gutenberg-University of Mainz 2014).
Supposed Mesolithic antler head-dresses from Star Carr have been interpreted as either shamanic garb and/or hunting disguises. This has had an overall lasting impact on our interpretation of Mesolithic and hunter-gatherer societies. The hypothesis that these objects were worn as a mask or head-dress has not yet been proven. However the recovery of comparable objects from sediments of roughly contemporaneous or slightly earlier age across the Northern European Plain keeps this model alive. Apart from the fact that these comparable artefacts are not yet well defined and their precise use and function still remains unclear and requires more detailed investigation, the apparent significance of the presence of these antler frontlets in Early Mesolithic bog sites across Central and Northern Europe is generally still not well understood.
Presented here will be the results of a morphometrical and technological re-examination of 16 modified cervid skulls with attached antlers from 8 sites which have been discussed in the context of the Star Carr antler frontlets. Furthermore, these results will be used to evaluate if former hypotheses about the ritual and symbolic character of Mesolithic antler frontlets sensu Star Carr can still be maintained.
Supposed Mesolithic antler head-dresses from Star Carr have been interpreted as either shamanic garb and/or hunting disguise. This has had a lasting impact on our interpretation of Mesolithic and hunter-gatherer societies overall. The hypothesis that these objects were worn as a mask or head-dress has not yet been proven. However the recovery of comparable objects from sediments of roughly contemporaneous or slightly earlier age across the Northern European Plain keeps this model alive. Apart from the fact that these comparable artefacts are not yet well defined and their precise use and function still remains unclear and requires more detailed investigation, the apparent significance of the presence or absence of antler frontlets in extensively excavated Early Mesolithic bog sites across Central and Northern Europe is generally still not well understood.
16 out of a total of 37 modified cervid skulls with attached antlers from 8 sites which have been discussed in the context of the Star Carr antler frontlets have recently been re-examined morphometrically and technologically by the author. Additionally a red deer was experimentally prepared to an antler frontlet to help understand the processes involved in the manufacturing and use of this kind of objects. The following parameters were recorded for all of the specimens: animal species, minimum age, weight and preservation, abiotic and biotic modifications that include breakage patterns, perforations, cut marks and notches.
The combined analysis of these parameters allows for the division of the group of modified deer skulls into four distinct groups of which one is discussed here: Besides the artefacts from Star Carr already mentioned, only one intensively modified red deer skull each from Hohen Viecheln and from Berlin-Biesdorf and two laterally perforated deer skulls from Bedburg-Königshoven – are classed as belonging to the newly created group of Hirschgeweihkappen [deer antler caps].
Hirschgeweihkappen are a rare spatial and temporal occurrence, within the Northern Technocomplexe of osseous material working [/artefacts] during the Middle to Late Preboreal. Their occurence is biased towards larger Early Mesolithic sites in the vicinity of lacustrine environments although they are absent from comparable sites like Friesack where the osseous material otherwise shows technological parallels to that of sites with Hirschgeweihkappen. This phenomenon should be linked to the still poorly understood function of this latter type of artefact. To understand these function new experiments are underway.
Street 1989, Street, M., 1989. Jäger und Schamanen: Bedburg-Königshoven, ein Wohnplatz am Niederrhein vor 10000 Jahren. Röm.-German. Zentralmuseum, Mainz.
Wild 2014, Wild, M., 2014. Funktionelle Analyse an zwei perforierten Hirschschädeln vom frühmesolithischen Fundplatz Bedburg-Königshoven. Masterarbeit, Universität Mainz.
The faunal remains – dominated by Bos primigenius – indicate the systematic exploitation of typical large ungulates of the Central European Early Mesolithic. Some bird and fish remains represent background fauna and they cannot be linked directly to the human presence at the site.
The small lithic assemblage consists of a handful of cores, some scrapers, microliths, unretouched flakes and blades and a heavy pic. The assemblage suggests the deliberate discard of butchery tools used in animal butchery (Street 1998; Street and Wild in press).
During the re-analysis of Hirschgeweihkappen [deer antler caps] from Early Mesolithic sites the spatial character and function of Bedburg-Königshoven compared to other Early Mesolithic sites with antler frontlets (Friesack 4, Hohen Viecheln (Germany), Star Carr (UK)) was re-assessed. This was combined with experimental procedures that attempted to understand the production and function of a Hirschgeweihkappe.
Some features of the assemblage do not fit with the interpretation of Bedburg-Königshoven solely as a secondary butchering site. The close association of the only two bone tools from the site (a chisel and a point) suggests a more complex site function, as do the two perforated deer skulls. Indeed, the Hirschgeweihkappen seem to be half-finished and deliberately stored underwater, perhaps either to protect them from carnivore gnawing or as part of the manufacturing process. Together, these two lines of evidence suggest a more complex and longer-term use of the site that fits with the finds of other Hirschgeweihkappen underwater at sites like Star Carr.
Lyman (1992, 247–248) points to the fact that secondary butchering sites are often situated in the direct vicinity of camp sites. This might be supported by the fact that there is barely any evidence of further processing of meat at Bedburg-Königshoven, although the bones are completely defleshed. The off-bank discard zone may therefore reflect a highly specialised part of a camp, which could be compared with large Preboreal sites like Star Carr.
References:
Lyman, R., 1992. Prehistoric Seal and Sea-Lion Butchering on the Southern Northwest Coast. American Antiquity 57, 246–261.
Street, M., 1989. Jäger und Schamanen: Bedburg-Königshoven, ein Wohnplatz am Niederrhein vor 10000 Jahren. Röm.-German. Zentralmuseum, Mainz..
-, 1998. A Preboreal Lithic Assemblage from the Lower Rhineland Site of Bedburg-Königshoven, In: Ashton, N., Healy F., Pettitt, P. (Eds.), Stone Age Archaeology. Essays in Honour of John Wymer. Oxbow Monographs 102, Oxford, 165–173.
Street, M., Wild, M., in press. Technological aspects of two Mesolithic red deer 'antler frontlets' from the German Rhineland, In: Ashton, N., Fisher, C. (Eds.), No Stone Unturned. Papers in Honour of Roger Jacobi.
Clarks Erben – zur Neubewertung bearbeiteter Hirschschädel des Mesolithikums
Die ins Präboreal datierende Fundstelle Bedburg-Königshoven konnte in den späten 1980ern durch Mitarbeiter des RGZM unter Leitung von Dr. Martin Street ausgegraben werden. Es handelt sich um die im Wasser gelegene „Abfallzone“ eines Lagers an der Erft. Bei der Ausgrabung wurden seitlich durchlochte Hirschschädel gefunden, die als Masken interpretiert werden (Street 1989).
Die Gattung der als Hirschgeweihmasken sensu lato bezeichneten, modifizierten Schädel von Elch, Reh, Rentier und Hirsch ist seit den späten 1940ern bekannt. Grahame Clark entdeckte bei der Ausgrabung der frühmesolithischen Fundstelle Star Carr 21 bearbeitete Rothirschschädel, denen gemein ist, dass sie aus dem Schädel herausgetrennt wurden, so dass hauptsächlich das Stirnbein mit Geweih und Teile des Os parietale-temporale-occipitale-Komplexes stehen blieben. In diesem rückwärtigen Bereich weisen sie zwei, seltener drei artifizielle Durchlochungen auf, die einen Durchmesser von ein bis zweieinhalb Zentimetern haben. Das Geweih ist gekürzt und ausgedünnt. In den Folgejahren wurden dieser Fundgattung viele, vornehmlich frühmesolithische, Artefakte hinzugefügt. Dazu zählen, in chronologischer Reihenfolge ihrer Entdeckung, die Hirschmaske von Plau (BB), die Maske aus einem Rothirschschädel und eine Vorarbeit von Hohen Viecheln (MV), die spätjungpaläolithische Tanzmaske aus einem Renschädel von der Poggenwisch im Ahrensburger Tunneltal (SH), die Hirschmaske von Berlin-Biesdorf (BE), die bereits erwähnten Hirschgeweihmasken von Bedburg-Königshoven (NW), die Schädeltrophäen von Friesack 4 (BB) sowie das Rehgehörn aus dem Grab der Schamanin von Bad Dürrenberg (SA) (Street und Wild in Druck).
Parallel zur uneinheitlichen Nomenklatur der Fundstücke zeigt sich eine heterogene Gattung von Artefakten, deren Größe und Gewicht von weniger als 100 g bis fast 3000 g variiert und deren Modifikationen keinem einheitlichen Muster zu folgen scheinen. Für die Artefakte von Star Carr noch typisch, tragen nur wenige der Objekte artifizielle Perforationen, nicht alle haben gekürzte und ausgedünnte Geweihe etc. In der Folge dieser Uneinheitlichkeit und eines fehlenden Verständnisses der denotativen Funktion werden die Fundstücke bis heute als Jagdhilfe und/oder Schamanentracht, seltener als Trophäe verstanden.
Zwölf Artefakte werden mit dem Ziel einer umfassenden Synthese untersucht. Neben den Originalen aus Berlin-Biesdorf, Friesack, Hohen Viecheln, Plau und Bedburg-Königshoven, steht zudem ein Abguss von antler frontlet 2 aus Star Carr zur detaillierten archäozoologischen Untersuchung und morphometrischen Vermessung zur Verfügung. Zusammen helfen diese, die Gattung der Hirschgeweihmasken sensu lato erstmalig einzugrenzen und liefern somit eine Grundlage für folgende Untersuchungen dieser, für das Mesolithikum aus heutiger Perspektive identitätsstiftenden, Quellengattung. Des Weiteren werden vorläufige Ergebnisse vorgestellt, die die funktionelle Analyse der beiden auf der Sutura squamosa durchlochten Hirschschädel aus Bedburg-Königshoven erbringen (Wild in Vorbereitung). Bei der funktionellen Analyse wird die Umgebung der Perforationen unter Zuhilfenahme von hochauflösenden Bildern in verschiedenen Vergrößerungen und DSMs auf Oberflächen- und Körperveränderungen untersucht. Die Ergebnisse werden mit Perforationen von Rothirschschädeln verglichen, die in einem Experiment kontrollierten Bewegungen ausgesetzt werden und die durch unterschiedliche Bänder und Seile, die durch die artifiziellen Löcher gespannt sind, stabilisiert werden.