Interdisciplinary Center for Archaeology and the Evolution of Human Behaviour (ICArEHB), FCHS, University of the Algarve, Campus de Gambelas, 8005-139 Faro, Portugal.
Institute of Prehistoric Archaeology, University of Cologne, Bernhard-Feilchenfeld-Str. 11, 50969 Cologne, Germany.
J Hum Evol. 2022 Dec;173:103267. doi: 10.1016/j.jhevol.2022.103267. Epub 2022 Oct 26.
After the Last Glacial Maximum, the Swabian and Franconian Jura (in SW and SE Germany, respectively) were repopulated by Magdalenian hunter-gatherers within the same communication network. However, while the Magdalenian settlement of the Swabian Jura dates to 17-14 ka cal BP, permanent Magdalenian occupations in the Franconian Jura date to 15-14 ka cal BP. In comparison with its western counterpart, the Franconian Jura was mostly excavated in the early days of archaeological research. Does this different chronology reflect the different history of research? Why did Magdalenian foragers establish permanent occupation in the Franconian Jura nearly 2 millennia after settling in Swabia, despite the fact these regions are only 150 km apart? To address these questions, we reinvestigated two sites in the Altmühl Valley with micromorphology and luminescence dating, namely Felsenhäusl-Kellerhöhle and Klausennische. Our data show that both sites have intact Pleistocene deposits. Among these, we identified sediments dating between 17 and 15 ka that show only rare lithic artifacts and microfeatures indicative of cold and arid conditions. Our work and published data suggest that the steady settlement of Magdalenian foragers in the Altmühl Valley starting 15 ka cal BP coincides with the end of this harsh period and the onset of cool and wetter environments. Data from the Swabian Jura demonstrated that in the Lone Valley, similar environments and Magdalenian occupations commenced earlier, starting 17 ka cal BP. Therefore, we propose that regional environments acted as a barrier against the dispersal of foragers in the Franconian Jura and determined its later Magdalenian occupation. Our research highlighted that different environments, taphonomic processes, and site uses probably coexisted across the German Jura. Therefore, it remains fundamental to expand the multisite data set proposed in this article to further test hypotheses about human/environment interaction in this region.
末次冰期后，斯瓦比亚和法兰克尼亚汝拉山（分别位于德国西南部和东南部）在同一交流网络中被马格德林狩猎采集者重新定居。然而，尽管斯瓦比亚汝拉山的马格德林人定居点可追溯到 17-14ka cal BP，法兰克尼亚汝拉山的永久性马格德林人定居点则可追溯到 15-14ka cal BP。与西部的汝拉山相比，其在考古研究的早期就已被大量挖掘。这种不同的年代是否反映了研究历史的不同？尽管这些地区相距仅 150 公里，但马格德林狩猎采集者为何在定居于斯瓦比亚 2000 年后才在法兰克尼亚汝拉山建立永久性居住地？为了解决这些问题，我们使用微形态学和发光测年法重新调查了阿尔特米尔河谷的两个地点，即 Felsenhäusl-Kellerhöhle 和 Klausennische。我们的数据表明，这两个地点都有完整的更新世沉积物。在这些沉积物中，我们确定了可追溯到 17 至 15ka 的沉积物，这些沉积物中仅偶尔出现石器和微特征，表明当时气候寒冷干燥。我们的工作和已发表的数据表明，15ka cal BP 左右，马格德林狩猎采集者开始在阿尔特米尔河谷稳定定居，这与这一恶劣时期的结束和凉爽湿润环境的开始相吻合。来自斯瓦比亚汝拉山的数据表明，在朗恩河谷，类似的环境和马格德林人定居点开始于更早的 17ka cal BP。因此，我们提出，区域环境是阻止狩猎采集者在法兰克尼亚汝拉山扩散的障碍，并决定了其后来的马格德林人定居点。我们的研究强调，不同的环境、埋藏学过程和遗址用途可能在整个德国汝拉山同时存在。因此，扩大本文提出的多遗址数据集以进一步检验该地区人类/环境相互作用的假设仍然至关重要。
