Helga Abri

Helga Abri
	The Helga Abri and another ; washout in the rock (top right)
Location:	Schelklingen , Alb-Donau-Kreis , Baden-Württemberg , Germany
Height :	545 m above sea level NHN
Geographic ; location:	48 ° 22 '44.6 " N , 9 ° 45' 14.7" E Coordinates: 48 ° 22 '44.6 " N , 9 ° 45' 14.7" E
Cadastral number:	7624 / 8b
Geology:	White Jura ζ , mass limestone
Type:	Half-cave
Lighting:	no

The Helga-Abri is a rock overhang located in the Achtal near Schelklingen in Baden-Württemberg .

Around 15,000 years ago, at the transition from the Late Magdalenian to the Late Palaeolithic and in the early Mesolithic , the shelter was repeatedly used by hunter-gatherer groups as a place to live and work.

Geographical location and topography

The half-cave is located on the south side of a large sponge that rises on the eastern edge of Schelklingen at the foot of the right slope in the Urdonautal . A beaten path leads over a steep slope to the semicircle located around 25 m above the valley floor, which opens to the south-west and whose width and depth are around 8 m and 6 m respectively. The overhang is relatively small at 2 m on average. A few meters up the slope there is another large excavation in the rock .

The access to the Hohler Fels cave is on the northeast side of the rock formation .

Research history

From 1958 to 1960 Gustav Riek from the University of Tübingen and the Schelklingen pharmacist and local researcher Gertraud Matschak dug at the Helga Abri. It is believed that they were looking for another access to the hollow rock at a niche in the southern area of the abyss. The finds were brought to the Württemberg State Museum in Stuttgart, where they were also archived photographically. Unpublished documentation exists for the findings . In the course of the excavations, the rock overhang was named after Matschak's daughter.

After a probe in 1976, further archaeological excavations took place under the direction of Joachim Hahn until 1984, during which cultural layers from the Hallstatt period , the Beuronia and the late Magdalenian could be uncovered. Parts of the research results were published in the 1980s, the systematic evaluation of the stone artifacts only began around 30 years after the excavation was completed. In memory of Joachim Hahn, the rock overhang at the University of Tübingen is mostly referred to today with the neuter article he used as "the Helga Abri".

Stratigraphy and Finds

The Helga Abri was excavated over an area of 40 m² to a depth of 5 m. The original sediment height is indicated by a blue line on the rock face. Because of the slope occurred in conjunction with drip and leachate to erosive processes and rearrangements, also led Bioturbation and the recessing or filling up of fire pits and mines already in prehistoric times to mixing within the archaeological find layers . The sediment consisted predominantly of fine sandy to clayey silt with small to medium-sized limestone rubble. Due to the rearrangements and the almost complete lack of intermediate agents in places, not all layer boundaries could be clearly determined. In the deeper strata there were larger, irregularly embedded limestone blocks. Traces of human inspection could predominantly be found near the rock face, where hollows enriched with ash and charcoal, concentrations of artifacts and stone settlements were found.

Early Mesolithic

Radiocarbon dates place the shift packages IIF1 to IIF6 with an age between 10,150 and 9,150 cal BP in the early Mesolithic. The reforestation that began in the boreal could be demonstrated using pollen and charcoal from hazel , pine and oak . The fauna remains mainly from beavers and rabbits as well as from red deer , wild boar , pike , trout and various species of birds. Remnants of eggs, elderberries and burnt hazelnut shells indicate the gathering of food.

Chert tubers like these from the Steinheim basin were processed into projectile tips and tools in the Helga Abri.

The lithic inventory is assigned to Beuronia C and comprises 744 artifacts and approximately 1,300 pieces of waste. In addition to shapes such as tees , blades and blade triangular dominate microlites , micro dorsal blades and microtips , which partially Schäftungsreste in the form of tar adhere. This speaks for the use as projectile points and the use of a bow and arrow . Furthermore, graver and combination tools are available. The spectrum also includes 13 cores as well as preparation chips and pieces with cortex (bark), which is proof that raw tubers were also processed in the Helga Abri and that not only the basic shapes introduced were modified. Several cores have two prepared striking surfaces and could thus be supported on a limestone base serving as an anvil and mined bidirectionally, i.e. alternately from both sides. The efficient use of resources can also be seen in the fact that in some cases even preparation chips, which arise as a waste product when attaching the striking surfaces, were further processed into microliths. The raw materials used are mainly Jura chimney from the vicinity of the abris, in some cases they come from deposits around 40 km away near Heidenheim an der Brenz and the Steinheim basin . A few pieces are made of radiolarite or chalk silex that was imported from the Alps or picked up from pre-alpine debris . Half of all artifacts show characteristic gloss and color changes, such as those caused by tempering flint . The raw tubers are heated indirectly, which reduces the water content in the rock and changes the crystalline structure . This reduces the porosity of the material and leads to better cleavage. This type of modification has been proven in many early Mesolithic sites and is considered a characteristic feature of this period.

The findings and finds suggest that the Helga Abri was repeatedly used by hunter-fisher-gatherer groups as a hunting camp for short stays during the early Mesoic era.

Late Magdalenian

Bone fragments from the layers IIF7, IIF8 and IIIa to IIId about 4 to 5 m deep could be dated to a ¹⁴ C age of 14,950 to 14,250 cal BP. Corresponding to the climatic conditions at that time, these horizons from the late Magdalenian period contained remains of both cold and warm animal species, such as. B. reindeer , wild horse , hare as well as red deer and roe deer .

Three large pits filled with ashes and burned bones or fireplaces that were used several times could be identified, the oldest of which was lined with limestone slabs at the base and sides. Similar constructions are known from the Gönnersdorf and Neuchâtel-Monruz outdoor stations . The wells probably served as cooking pits, with the stones as heat storage or work documents. Several large stone blocks near the wall could have served as seating. A semicircular stone setting on the edge of a hollow is interpreted as a tent ring. A simultaneous inspection of Hohle Fels and Helga-Abri in Magdalénien has been proven through the combination of stone artefacts, it could be that food was smoked or animal skins were tanned in the tent , as these odor-intensive activities were certainly preferred outside of caves. It can also be used as a living tent or a covered workplace.

In addition to several sewing needle fragments, there were perforated jewelry snail shells from the Steinheim basin and two works of art made of Gagat and stone. The latter is around 3 cm long, shows traces of processing on the cortex and is stylistically similar to Venus figurines of the "Gönnersdorf type" , without a head or extremities and with an overemphasized buttocks in profile.

With over 2000 basic shapes, 18 cores and almost 280 modified tools such as back knives and points, scrapers , burins and drills , the stone inventory is very extensive and varied. Often damaged devices were refurbished or redesigned to combination tools. Although local and regional chert varieties are of relatively good quality, other raw materials were brought in from a distance of up to 300 km. Used in the Helga Abri z. B. Bavarian Plattenhornstein from the Franconian Alb near Kelheim or from the Altmühltal and more than 150 artefacts are made of Malmsilex , which comes from an area west of Thayngen in northern Switzerland . Also Baltic flint and radiolarite from the foothills of the Alps are detected.

The origin of the raw materials used allows the conclusion that at the end of the Late Glacial, people embarked on extensive hiking routes and grazing areas along the Jura Mountains up to the Swabian / Franconian Alb. The Helga Abri was used several times by these extremely mobile hunter-gatherer groups as a hunting camp and sometimes also for longer stays. Its inventory is similar to that of other simultaneous sites known along this route, such as B. the Abri Schweizersbild , the Petersfels Cave and the Upper Klause .

gallery

View from the valley side to the east
View of the northeast area of the demolition (scale = 1 m)
The reference point set in the 1970s to measure the finds

literature

Thomas Hess: The Helga Abri in the Achtal - lithic technology and raw material supply of the late Magdalenian and early Mesolithic groups. Kerns-Verlag, Tübingen 2019, ISBN 978-3-935751-27-8

Thomas Hess: The Helga Abri in the Achtal - lithic technology and raw material supply in the late Magdalenian. In: The Magdalenian in southwest Germany, Alsace and Switzerland. Kerns-Verlag, Tübingen 2019, pp. 109–130

Thomas Hess: A Mesolithic hunting camp in the Helga Abri near Schelklingen, Achtal, Swabian Alb. In: "None of the lovely hills is alien to me ..." - Festschrift for the 65th birthday of Claus-Joachim Kind . Publishing house Dr. Rudolf Habelt GmbH, Bonn 2019, pp. 423–434

Nicholas J. Conard , Michael Bolus, Ewa Dutkiewicz, Sibylle Wolf: The sites in the Ach Valley | Helga Abri. In: Ice Age Archeology on the Swabian Alb - The sites in the Ach and Lone Valley and their surroundings. Kerns-Verlag, Tübingen 2015, ISBN 978-3-935751-24-7 , pp. 139–140

Thomas Hess: Late glacial stone artifacts from the Helga Abri in the Achtal. In: Mitteilungen der Gesellschaft für Urgeschichte, Volume 23, 2014. Blaubeuren 2015, ISSN 1611-7948 , pp. 37–56

Joachim Hahn: At the end of the excavations in the Helga Abri, community Schelklingen, Alb-Donau district. In: Archaeological excavations in Baden-Württemberg 1984. Konrad-Theiss-Verlag, Stuttgart 1985, ISBN 3-8062-0430-6 , pp. 15-17

Joachim Hahn, Anne Scheer: A Magdalenian settlement structure in the Helga-Abri on the Hohlefels, community Schelklingen, Alb-Danube district. In: Archaeological excavations in Baden-Württemberg 1983. Konrad-Theiss-Verlag, Stuttgart 1984, ISBN 3-8062-0386-5 , pp. 35-37

Reiner Blumentritt , Siegfried Mall: Helga-Abri, Schelklingen. In: Small cave guide for the Ehingen area. Ehingen 1984, pp. 20-21

Joachim Hahn, Anne Scheer: The Helga Abri on the Hohlenfelsen near Schelklingen: a Mesolithic and Upper Palaeolithic layer sequence. In: Archäologisches Korrespondenzblatt 13. Verlag des Römisch-Germanisches Zentralmuseums, Mainz 1983, pp. 19–28

Wolfgang Rähle: The mollusks of the excavation Helga-Abri near Schelklingen with a note on the discovery of some Mesolithic ornamental snails. In: Archäologisches Korrespondenzblatt 13. Verlag des Römisch-Germanisches Zentralmuseums, Mainz 1983, pp. 29–36

Joachim Hahn, Rolf CA Rottländer: A Magdalenian settlement horizon from the Helga Abri, town of Schelklingen, Alb-Danube district. In: Archaeological excavations in Baden-Württemberg 1981. Konrad-Theiss-Verlag, Stuttgart 1982, ISBN 3-8062-0304-0 , pp. 21-26

Joachim Hahn: The rock shelter Helga-Abri, community Schelklingen, Alb-Donau-Kreis, results of the excavation 1980. In: Archaeological excavations 1980 - soil monument maintenance in the administrative districts Stuttgart and Tübingen. Stuttgart, Aalen 1981, pp. 19-21

Joachim Hahn: The Hohle Felsen and the Helga Abri in the Ach Valley near Schelklingen, Alb-Donau district. In: Archaeological excavations 1979 - soil monument maintenance in the administrative districts of Stuttgart and Tübingen. Stuttgart 1980, pp. 11-13

Joachim Hahn: Excavations in prehistoric sites of the Eight Valley between Blaubeuren and Schelklingen, Alb-Danube district. In: Archaeological excavations 1978 - conservation of soil monuments in the administrative districts of Stuttgart and Tübingen. Stuttgart 1979, pp. 11-15

Joachim Hahn: The Middle and Paleolithic site "Helga-Abri", community Schelklingen, Alb-Donau district. In: Archaeological excavations 1977 - preservation of ground monuments in the administrative districts of Stuttgart and Tübingen. Stuttgart 1978, pp. 20-22

Web links

Commons : Helga-Abri - Collection of pictures, videos and audio files

Individual evidence

↑ Thomas Hess: The Helga Abri in the Achtal . Ed .: Nicholas J. Conard. Kerns Verlag, Tübingen 2019, ISBN 978-3-935751-27-8 , Chapter 2: Topographical situation, p. 15-16 .
↑ ^a ^b ^c Nicholas J. Conard, Michael Bolus, Ewa Dutkiewicz, Sibylle Wolf: Ice Age Archeology on the Swabian Alb - The sites in the Ach and Lone Valley and in their surroundings . Kerns Verlag, Tübingen 2015, ISBN 978-3-935751-24-7 , The sites in the Achtal - Helga-Abri, p. 139-140 .
↑ ^a ^b ^c ^d Jochim Hahn, Anne Scheer: The Helga-Abri -am Hohlenfelsen near Schelklingen - a Mesolithic and Upper Palaeolithic sequence of layers . Publishing house of the Roman-Germanic Central Museum, Mainz 1983, p. 19-28 .
↑ ^a ^b Thomas Hess: The Helga Abri in the Achtal . Ed .: Nicholas J. Conard. Kerns Verlag, Tübingen 2019, ISBN 978-3-935751-27-8 , Chapter 4: Research history, p. 21-24 .
^ ^A ^b Thomas Hess: The Magdalenian in southwest Germany, in Alsace and in Switzerland . Ed .: Harald Floss . Kerns Verlag, Tübingen 2019, ISBN 978-3-935751-29-2 , Chapter 5: The Helga-Abri in the Ach Valley - lithic technology and raw material supply in the late Magdalenian, p. 109-130 .
↑ Thomas Hess: The Helga Abri in the Achtal . Ed .: Nicholas J. Conard. Kerns Verlag, Tübingen 2019, ISBN 978-3-935751-27-8 , Chapter 5: Stratigraphy and spatial situation, p. 25-39 .
↑ Thomas Hess: The Helga Abri in the Achtal . Ed .: Nicholas J. Conard. Kerns Verlag, Tübingen 2019, ISBN 978-3-935751-27-8 , Chapter 9: Mesolithic, p. 163-240 .
↑ Thomas Hess: The Helga Abri in the Achtal . Ed .: Nicholas J. Conard. Kerns Verlag, Tübingen 2019, ISBN 978-3-935751-27-8 , Chapter 8: Spätmagdalénien, p. 63-162 .

[DHAiA2-1] Thomas Hess: The Helga Abri in the Achtal . Ed .: Nicholas J. Conard. Kerns Verlag, Tübingen 2019, ISBN 978-3-935751-27-8 , Chapter 2: Topographical situation, p. 15-16 .

[EadSA-2] Nicholas J. Conard, Michael Bolus, Ewa Dutkiewicz, Sibylle Wolf: Ice Age Archeology on the Swabian Alb - The sites in the Ach and Lone Valley and in their surroundings . Kerns Verlag, Tübingen 2015, ISBN 978-3-935751-24-7 , The sites in the Achtal - Helga-Abri, p. 139-140 .

[JHAS83-3] Jochim Hahn, Anne Scheer: The Helga-Abri -am Hohlenfelsen near Schelklingen - a Mesolithic and Upper Palaeolithic sequence of layers . Publishing house of the Roman-Germanic Central Museum, Mainz 1983, p. 19-28 .

[DHAiA4-4] Thomas Hess: The Helga Abri in the Achtal . Ed .: Nicholas J. Conard. Kerns Verlag, Tübingen 2019, ISBN 978-3-935751-27-8 , Chapter 4: Research history, p. 21-24 .

[DMiSD-5] A ^b Thomas Hess: The Magdalenian in southwest Germany, in Alsace and in Switzerland . Ed .: Harald Floss . Kerns Verlag, Tübingen 2019, ISBN 978-3-935751-29-2 , Chapter 5: The Helga-Abri in the Ach Valley - lithic technology and raw material supply in the late Magdalenian, p. 109-130 .

[DHAiA5-6] Thomas Hess: The Helga Abri in the Achtal . Ed .: Nicholas J. Conard. Kerns Verlag, Tübingen 2019, ISBN 978-3-935751-27-8 , Chapter 5: Stratigraphy and spatial situation, p. 25-39 .

[DHAiA9-7] Thomas Hess: The Helga Abri in the Achtal . Ed .: Nicholas J. Conard. Kerns Verlag, Tübingen 2019, ISBN 978-3-935751-27-8 , Chapter 9: Mesolithic, p. 163-240 .

[DHAiA8-8] Thomas Hess: The Helga Abri in the Achtal . Ed .: Nicholas J. Conard. Kerns Verlag, Tübingen 2019, ISBN 978-3-935751-27-8 , Chapter 8: Spätmagdalénien, p. 63-162 .