ABSTRACT We present sequential oxygen isotope records (δ 18 O phosphate vs. VSMOW) of horse tooth enamel phosphate of six individuals from two adjacent Palaeolithic sites in Lower Austria. Three molars from the site Krems‐Wachtberg date to 33–31k cal a bp , and three molars from Kammern‐Grubgraben to 24–20k cal a bp. All teeth show seasonal isotope variations, which are used to reconstruct the annual oxygen isotope composition of drinking water (δ 18 O dw ) and palaeotemperatures. Measured δ 18 O phosphate values ranged from 8.6 to 13.0‰ and from 10.8 to 13.9‰ at Krems‐Wachtberg and Kammern‐Grubgraben, respectively. An inverse modelling approach was used to reconstruct summer and winter temperatures after a correction for glacial oceanic source water δ 18 O. Reconstructed annual δ 18 O dw was −16.4 ± 1.5‰ at Krems‐Wachtberg and −15.3 ± 1.4‰ at Kammern‐Grubgraben, resulting in annual temperatures of −5.7 ± 3.1 and −3.5 ± 2.9°C, respectively. Summer and winter temperatures reconstructed from individual teeth exhibit high seasonal variations with moderate summer temperatures and extremely low winter temperatures typical for a polar tundra climate. Isotopic differences between individuals are attributed to interannual climate variability or to different drinking water sources. Our reconstructed temperatures are, overall, consistent with previously reported values from European horse teeth, when taking regional differences into account.
Abstract Isotope analyses on bone collagen from hunted animals at the Upper Palaeolithic sites Krems-Hundssteig, Krems-Wachtberg and Langenlois A (33 − 29 ka), and Kammern-Grubgraben (23 ka) indicate a strong reduction of ecological herbivore niches towards the Last Glacial Maximum. This change is accompanied by a clear shift in human prey pattern from a more diverse and balanced spectrum of hunted species in the earlier period to a clear focus on reindeer at Kammern-Grubgraben, particularly on young individuals. Moreover, new analyses of the osteological material show that the site with its massive stone constructions and high amount of lithic and faunal material was occupied exclusively in winter. In this paper, we present new results on the age and sex distribution of reindeer at Kammern-Grubgraben. We argue that winter-hunting of young reindeer, in addition to its role in providing energy-rich nutrition and raw material for organic tools, is also indicative of a focus on obtaining high-quality raw material for clothing. The fur of young reindeer in winter is particularly valuable and convenient for the production of clothing for cold environments. Together with the recovered large number of eyed needles, a tool for tight and regular seams, our findings suggest that the production of clothing and other goods made of fur and skin was an important activity at Kammern-Grubgraben.
The open-air archaeological site at Krems-Hundssteig is a well-known Upper Paleolithic site located in Lower Austria. The site was discovered in the late 19th/early 20th centuries when a large number of archaeological remains were collected during the course of loess quarrying. Although no systematic excavation has ever been performed, Krems-Hundssteig has been described since its discovery as typical of the Aurignacian period in this region based on the numerous archaeological finds; accordingly, the culture has been named Kremsien by some authors. Surprisingly, the artifacts found in a recent excavation adjacent to this location showed solely Gravettian features, calling into question the original assignment to the Aurignacian. Although the earlier assignment was supported by a radiocarbon date of ∼35 kyr BP (Hahn 1977), new accelerator mass spectrometry (AMS) 14 C dates proved that the recently excavated cultural layer originates from the Gravettian period. Older paleosols were also detected by sondage drillings at some depth below it. The new results indicate that a large Aurignacian level and a substantial complex of Gravettian layers are present in this area. Therefore, it must be assumed that more than 1 cultural level was affected and destroyed by the historic loess quarrying, and that the assemblage of Krems-Hundssteig artifacts, traditionally ascribed to the Aurignacian, might be interspersed with Gravettian pieces.
The Lower Austrian site of Kammern-Grubgraben is one of the few stratigraphically recorded sites from the Last Glacial Maximum (LGM) that allows detailed insights into the life of glacial hunter-gatherer societies. Extensive and planned archaeological excavations took place for the first time between 1985 and 1994 under the direction of Friedrich Brandtner in cooperation with Anta Montet-White (1985–1990) and Bohuslav Klíma (1993–1994), following earlier smaller, isolated findings and unqualified, largely undocumented excavations. After Brandtner's death in 2000, the exceptionally rich find material remained largely unprocessed and barely published. It was not until 2011 to 2015 that the Institute for Oriental and European Archaeology (OREA, now: the Austrian Archaeological Institute – OeAI) of the Austrian Academy of Sciences (OeAW) succeeded in completely recording and inventorying the material in the course of a cooperation project with the Institutes for Prehistory and Early History of the University of Cologne and the Friedrich Alexander University Erlangen-Nuremberg, funded by the legal owner of the finds, the State of Lower Austria. Field research was resumed in 2015, when it became known that land consolidation and the relocation of an access road had begun in the area of the site without prior notification of the authorities. After initial prospections (profiles and percussion cores) by the Quaternary Archaeology research group (OREA/OeAI, OeAW) initiated and funded by the Federal Office for the Protection of Monuments (BDA), regular research activities subsidised by the State of Lower Austria were started in the form of annual one- to two-month excavation campaigns. Once again, an exceptionally extensive inventory of finds including bones, knapped lithics and jewellery was documented and recovered, as well as stone finds unique for this period. This article presents the latest excavations and discusses the finding of a possible meat cache.
The object from fires clay were discovered at the sites of
Pavlov I, Dolni Věstonice I and Krems, dated to the Upper
Paleolithic (Gravettian). The paper described the process of
study, the analysis (method, ceramic technology and trasology,
paleodermatoglyphic), perspectives.
