Subsistenzstrategien mittelpleistozäner Homininen in Schöningen
Zusammenfassung der Projektergebnisse
The Schöningen spears are a marvel of Palaeolithic weaponry - the only complete wooden hunting spears dating from the Middle Pleistocene. The associated archaeological remains and depositional contexts provide an invaluable reference for hominin behaviour and adaptation to Pleistocene interglacial environments. Here we present the first analysis of the complete animal bone assemblage from the famous Schöningen 13II-4 “Spear Horizon”. With this interdisciplinary investigation, we draw on multiple lines of evidence to explore how the site formed and to expose the full spectrum of hominin activities at this important archaeological site. Despite the notoriety of the site, no artefacts or faunal remains from the Schöningen 13II-4 “Spear Horizon” have been directly dated. Two original and independent amino acid racemization dating programmes indicate the site may be younger than previously thought. A late Middle Pleistocene age, correlating with Marine Isotope Stage 7 (243-191), is most likely. A micromorphological assessment of sediment blocks lifted from the original excavations reveals the spears and a portion of the bone assemblage accumulated on dry land near the shoreline of the former lake. Some bones exhibit dark staining, which is caused by decaying plant material near the shoreline, in waterlogged sediments. Refits between broken bones and articulating sets of bones suggest little postdepositional disturbance within the archaeological deposit; therefore, the spatial arrangements at the site are the result of hominin hunting and butchering activities. From our thorough analysis of the roughly 15.000 bones, we determined at least 51 horses were killed and extensively butchered at the site by Middle Pleistocene hominins; cervids and bovids are considered secondary prey species. A detailed evaluation of the isotopic signatures from horse teeth rejects the possibility of a single mass kill of horses at the site. A series of smaller hunting events involving one or a few horses is most plausible. The horse population includes individuals of all age classes; the juvenile animals provide clear evidence that horses died at the site during all seasons of the year. By association, hominin hunters were present at all times of the year, which has important implications for the behaviours and technologies required to endure northern latitude winters. Survival in these harsh environments surely demanded clothing, shelter, and reliable access to food. The ability to efficiently take down prey is apparent in the extensive butchery marks on the bones of all main prey species. Indications for multiple horse deaths during one hunting episode may even imply food storage capabilities. Cut marks at certain anatomical locations suggest skinning activities, which could have yielded animal hides suitable for clothing. Owing to the presence of well-crafted wooden spears, the Schöningen hominins possessed the woodworking skills to fashion basic shelters. Based on the lithic tool kit and a large collection of bone tools, the Schöningen hominins were a mobile population, and it is possible that the same group revisited the site on multiple occasions. The circumstances of the site’s preservation and discovery were quite fortuitous, but the accumulation of the site was no matter of chance. The Schöningen lakeshore was a well-known location on the landscape perfectly suited for ambush hunting. Furthermore, the behaviours and technologies possessed by the Schöningen hominins were not anomalous. A much wider population of Middle Pleistocene hominins living across Europe likely crafted wooden spears, used a variety of bone tools, organized successful ambush hunts, and lived at northern latitudes through the winter months. Such a detailed view of hominin lifeways is lacking at most Middle Pleistocene archaeological sites. The Schöningen 13II-4 “Spear Horizon” represents more than just a novel accumulation of spears, animal bones, and stone tools; rather, the site establishes a standard of Middle Pleistocene hominin behaviour in Europe, and beyond.
Projektbezogene Publikationen (Auswahl)
- 2013. A landscape perspective of hominin behaviour at Schöningen 13II-4 “Spear Horizon”, Proceedings of the European Society for the Study of Human Evolution 2, 117
Hutson, J., Villaluenga, A., García-Moreno, A., Turner, E., Alt, K., Gaudzinski-Windheuser, S.
- 2014. Counting sheep without falling asleep: using GIS to calculate the Minimum Number of Skeletal Elements (MNE) and other archaeozoological measures at Schöningen 13II-4 'Spear horizon'. In: Giligny, F., Djindjian, F., Costa, L., Moscati, P., Robert, S. (Eds.), CAA2014. 21st Century Archaeology. Concepts, Methods, Tools. Archaeopress, Oxford, pp. 407-412
García-Moreno, A., Hutson, J., Villaluenga, A., Turner, E., Gaudzinski-Windheuser, S.
- 2014. Mounting evidence for multiple hunting episodes in the Schöningen 13 II-4 “Spear Horizon”. Proceedings of the European Society for the Study of Human Evolution 3, 89
Hutson, J., Villaluenga, A., García-Moreno, A., Turner, E., Alt, K., Knipper, C., Kaiser, T., Gaudzinski-Windheuser, S.
- 2015. A site for all seasons: reconstructing the occupational history of the Middle Pleistocene Schöningen 13II-4 “Spear Horizon”. Proceedings of the European Society for the Study of Human Evolution 4, 231
Villaluenga, A., Hutson, J., García-Moreno, A., Turner, E., Gaudzinski-Windheuser, S.
