Abri IX
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The Abri IX is an archaeological find place at a rock overhang at the bed Rodersberg in Reinhausen , in the town of Same , near Göttingen .
It was extensively archaeologically examined between 1988 and 1990 . Abri IX, on the one hand, because of its intensive human use and, on the other hand, because of the chronological and natural historical observations made there, occupies a special role among the Paleolithic sites in Germany.
The abri is about 11.5 m wide and about 3 m deep, the height is about 6.5 m. The interior has an area of about 30 m². Overall, the excavation yielded around 8,000 stone tools and almost 20,000 animal bones. Several usage horizons between the Middle Paleolithic and the Late Mesolithic could be proven.
Archaeological features
Like the caves, the abrises are among the places that people have visited again and again since the Middle Paleolithic. In addition, there are the exceptionally good archaeological conditions under the demolitions. The high lime content of the weathering rocks means that bones are often well preserved even in soils that are poor in lime. In addition, a precisely datable deposit of fly ash ( tephra ) can be found among many of the abrises in Lower Saxony . This ash comes from the " Laacher See volcano eruption ".
Research history
As early as 1900 there were a number of chance finds of animal bones and stone tools in the Leinetal near Göttingen, which were evidently connected to nearby demolitions. In 1935 there was the first excavation under an abri in the Klustal by Dr. H. Krüger from the Göttingen Municipal Museum . In 1966 and 1970, the previously known sites and objects were published by Sickenberg and Raddatz, with reference to an Abri problem and possible future research focus for the first time. From 1979, under the direction of Klaus Grote from the Göttingen District Monument Preservation, an interdisciplinary research project on the abrises in the Leinetal was developed. By 1992 around 1,500 demolitions had been recorded, of which 103 could be positively archaeologically proven through probes and test excavations. Particularly in the history of regional research, the entire project on demolition research was able to close an existing gap.
Inspection horizons
Middle Paleolithic
At Bettenröder Berg, it was possible for the first time to prove a Middle Paleolithic inspection under a red sandstone rubble . This is special insofar as the formation of the erosion is mostly dated to the last glacial period due to its geological short life . This means that in the Leinebergland, at least in theory, the presence of further Altabris could be expected.
In the find layer there were eleven artifacts cut from silica slate . The material probably came from river gravel in the western Harz foreland or the Upper Weser . The western part of the Abri contained some wild horse bones. An associated hearth or fireplace could not be found. By comparing the inventory with that of the North Hessian sites of Buhlen and Fritzlar, this settlement phase is dated to the Micoquia of the Old Wozzo .
Upper Paleolithic
After a somewhat longer period of non-ascent, a Upper Paleolithic find horizon can be found that is most likely to be dated to Magdalenian IV-V . In this phase, the interior space was laid out with non-local sandstone slabs on an area of around 4 m 2 . The plates are between 6 and 30 cm in size and probably come from the nearby Wendebach . They were probably preferred to the red sandstone because they no longer sanded out, but were very hard due to the stay in the water. The plates were probably used as seating, work surfaces and hot plates. This also suggests a number of scratch marks on the stones, which are most likely to be addressed as work marks.
Reindeer , wild cattle , wild boar, hare and, in large numbers, ptarmigan served as hunting prey . Around 7% of the bones were exposed to fire, suggesting that the food was cooking. In addition, the accumulation of bone finds shows the hearth as a central reference point. The Abri was probably visited at least two more times in the Upper Paleolithic. However, these were probably only brief inspections that did not leave any large accumulations of finds.
Late Paleolithic
A late Paleolithic inspection phase can be found directly below the Laacher Tuff . The interior is again at least partially provided with stone paving. This time, however, the rock quarry from the mountain itself dominates. There is also a fireplace here.
With red deer, wild boar and roe deer, the game is more oriented towards forest-related species. A few charred hazelnut shells can be interpreted as possible evidence of collecting activities. This changed food supply shows very clearly the ongoing climate change. Nordic flint now dominates among the stone artifacts with 41 pieces. Two of these artifacts can be clearly identified as penknives, which means that an inspection by the penknife group is likely.
Early Mesolithic
The first inspection phase over the Laacher Tuff already contains a clearly Mesolithic inventory. This first inspection can be dated to the preboreal through the found shells of the snail fauna of that time .
In the following boreal , the Abri was visited more frequently at shorter intervals. There are a number of fireplaces within the resulting layered packing. The collection of nuts and fruits is now becoming more important, at least there are larger amounts of charred (indeterminable) fruit residues and, above all, hazelnut shells. A device interpreted as a nutcracker, with a pecked hollow on the top, apparently a stone for breaking open the shells, also fits these finds.
The most extensive Mesolithic living space horizon is found above a thin, almost fund-free layer . In addition to the food sources already mentioned, you can also find freshwater mussels here, some of which have been processed into jewelry. There is again a central hearth.
The peculiarity of this settlement horizon, however, are the two children's burials that were discovered near the western rear wall. It was a boy about one and a half years old and a girl about two and a half to three years old. Both were the only secured Mesolithic burials in Lower Saxony at the time of discovery. However, direct AMS dating of the human remains has meanwhile been able to prove an Iron Age connection between the children's burials (grave I: approx. 460 BC; grave II: approx. 800 BC).
Late Mesolithic
There are two more settlement phases from the late Mesolithic. From this horizon there is a rich find material, which again mainly contains bones and stone tools. For the first time there is also early evidence of a slow transition to the Neolithic economy. There were few charred remains of barley and emmer . Under the animal bones there are references to goat and sheep.
Among the stone implements there are also striking pieces, two blade-shaped flint flakes with a sickle shine, the shape of which is very similar to the ancient Neolithic band ceramic “ harvest knives ”. For these late Mesolithic inhabitants, this suggests an at least remote contact with an early peasant culture.
Individual evidence
- ↑ K. Grote and T. Terberger, The prehistoric children's burials from Abri Bettenroder Berg IX in the Reinhäuser Forest near Göttingen. Archäologisches Korrespondenzblatt 41, 2011, 189–195.
literature
- Klaus Grote , HD Freese: The rock protection roofs in the mountainous region of southern Lower Saxony . In: Nachrichten aus Niedersachsens Urgeschichte , 51, 1982, ISSN 0342-1406 , pp. 17–70.
- Klaus Grote: The Abris in the southern Leinebergland near Göttingen. Archaeological findings on life under rock protection roofs in prehistoric times . Volume 1-2 (3 parts). Isensee, Oldenburg 1994, ISBN 3-89442-172-X , ( publications of the prehistoric collections of the Landesmuseum zu Hannover 43).
- Klaus Grote: Rock roofs (abrises) settled in prehistoric times . In: 10 years of district archeology in Göttingen . Braunschweigisches Landesmuseum, Braunschweig 1989, ( publications of the Braunschweigisches Landesmuseum 55, ZDB -ID 1198674-8 ), pp. 8-11.
- Klaus Grote: The red sandstone demolition in the mountainous region of southern Lower Saxony . In: Die Kunde NF 39, 1988, ISSN 0342-0736 , pp. 1-43.
- Klaus Grote: On life under rock protection roofs. Hunters and gatherers in southern Lower Saxony at the end of the last ice age . In: Manfred Boetzkes (Ed.): EisZeit. The great adventure of mastering nature . Book accompanying the exhibition of the same name. Thorbecke et al., Stuttgart 1999, ISBN 3-7995-3663-9 , pp. 223-239.
- Hartmut Thieme: Paleolithic and Middle Stone Age . In: Hans-Jürgen Häßler (Ed.) Prehistory and early history in Lower Saxony . Theiss, Stuttgart 1991, ISBN 3-8062-0495-0 , pp. 97-99.
- Klaus Grote: The Abri Bettenroder Berg IX in the Reinhäuser Forest near Göttingen In: Mamoun Fansa , Frank Both, Henning Haßmann (editor): Archeology | Land | Lower Saxony. 400,000 years of history. State Museum for Nature and People, Oldenburg 2004. Pages 227–230.
Web links
Coordinates: 51 ° 27 ′ 55 ″ N , 10 ° 0 ′ 38 ″ E